


A Raven Comes Calling

by Chaosmoon75 (Chaosmoon)



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Gen, Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-08-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 08:48:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22194295
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chaosmoon/pseuds/Chaosmoon75
Summary: Anna Stephenson was her mother's daughter through and through. She may have gone into anthropology instead of archeology, but she was still proud to be associated with the recently deceased woman. She was given the perfect opportunity to grow and has plans already in place for the future. All that changes when she stumbles upon something strange that she can't seem to walk away from. She finds out the hard way that some truths are better left buried.
Relationships: Roy Mustang/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 46





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this was born out of me trying to find some good FMA works with Roy Mustang as the main male lead instead of Ed or Al. There just aren't that many at all, so now we have this :) I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed thinking it up! Thanks

##  **Chapter 1**

Anna hurriedly put down the box she had just picked up as she felt another sneeze come on. The last thing she wanted was to jostle the contents when she had no idea what they were yet, much less drop them. At least she had been given a cart to use, and it was handily right at the bottom of the ladder.

As soon as it was down, the sneeze refused to be held back longer, and she groaned at the feeling of the pressure behind her eyes. She looked around the dusty room again and reminded herself, “Don’t complain. This is the freaking Smithsonian for crying out loud.”

She plucked another tissue with a sigh and cleaned up before she tossed it into the half-full wastebasket on the bottom level of her cart. She had been thrilled when she first got the letter stating that the Smithsonian Institute was happy to have someone with her schooling and family history working as an intern. She had no idea what that really meant until she started. Reorganizing storerooms that hadn’t been touched in decades was not what she was thinking of when she came here. She had hoped that it would lead her to connections so she could put her anthropology degree to work.

She sighed again as she opened the box to properly catalog the contents and figure out how to store them better. She supposed they all had to start somewhere, and while her mother’s name had gotten her the interview, it was also the cause of some of her grief. Not everyone on the board was willing to look past the last few years of the woman’s life before she had died.

Anna shoved that thought down and reminded herself not to take it out on the artifacts she was sorting. Even if this was only part-time and unpaid, she couldn’t afford to lose the position. Just the name on a resume could work wonders. She was still young and knew where she wanted to go, so getting through the next few years of dusty cataloging and background work was something she was willing to put up with. Besides, some of the stuff was pretty cool.

She hadn’t done more than pull out the first few items and written down their descriptions and state before she heard a voice behind her. “While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, as if someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.” The voice was accompanied by a light knock on the doorframe.

Anna turned around and pinned her visitor with a dry look. “Do you genuinely believe that makes you sound smart or witty?”

The man smirked at her. “I don’t think about it much. I just wanted to see what our resident Raven was getting up to.”

“Piss off, Andrew.” Anna didn’t say anything else as she turned around. 

She nearly growled when the man crowded her into the small room and looked over her shoulder. His sarcasm practically dripped from his voice. “Oh, fascinating. More books and baubles that will never make their way back into the museum.”

She ignored him as she gently set the next item down and spoke over her shoulder. “We work in a historical repository. Not everything is about what makes it into the public eye. It’s about preserving history.” She then looked over her shoulder with a glare. “Not that I think you would understand any of that. Tell me how you got a job here again?”

His smirk widened, but he took a step back. “Because unlike you, I have connections.”

It took everything she had for Anna not to turn around and slap that smug look off his face. Instead, she took the last item out of the box and barely managed to set it down gently before she turned to him and shoved the decaying fiberboard box into Andrew’s chest. “Here, make yourself useful. There are a couple more in the hall too. You can take them all down to the garbage.”

He lifted a brow and almost let the box drop. “Perhaps your mother should have named you Katherine instead of Annabell.”

For one second, Andrew thought he might have pushed too far. It hadn’t been that long since the late Ms. Stephenson had kicked it. He took a step back as Anna’s eyes flashed, and her jaw clenched. He hadn’t realized he was holding his breath until she turned back around and spoke over her shoulder to him dismissively. 

“Don’t forget to hit the compactor button after you throw them in.”

Andrew huffed at her back but bent to grab two more boxes. Anna could take care of the rest. Even though he was capitulating, he couldn’t resist a parting comment as he walked off. “Don’t peck anyone’s eyes out while I’m gone. I’d hate to miss seeing that.”

She looked back at him with enough fire that he wondered if she might take him up on the suggestion and peck at his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was better or worse when she shot him an evil smirk. “You might want to brush up a little before then. Especially since you can’t even seem to get the right poem.”

He looked her over with a practiced eye, from her black hair that was currently up in a messy bun to her steel grey raptor’s eyes and then further down. She was definitely gorgeous as long as she wasn’t speaking. He still managed a smirk. “Maybe, or it might just be that I like ravens, Raven.”

She rolled her eyes and turned back around. It was impossible to get anywhere with that man. He just did not understand how any woman he wanted couldn’t want him too. She was thankful to hear his footsteps disappearing finally.

Once he was gone, she turned back to the last item she had taken from the box and froze. There was an Ouroboros on the cover, but that was only part of what had caught her attention. There were also several other symbols she recognized, as well as a transcription around the edge that looked like it was written in Greek. She tried to gently brush away some of the dust so she could see for sure.

Once she brushed the front off, she raised a brow a the translation. “One is the Serpent which has its poison according to two compositions, and One is All and through it is All, and by it is All, and if you have not All, All is nothing.”

She chuckled when she finally worked it out. She knew what she was looking at had to be a transcribed copy of an extremely old manuscript, but the quote had her thinking of younger days hanging out with her mother as they traveled. She sighed as she pushed those thoughts away and gently lifted the cover. Much to her surprise, the pages seemed to be firm, with no signs of the degradation common to papyrus or other organic-material-based papers from the 16th and 17th centuries or earlier. So this was a reprint. Even if it was a hand-copied and still quite old one.

She looked through the first few pages and saw most of it was in Greek, though some was in another language she did not recognize. Mostly the notes in the margins. She grinned down at the pages. This was one of the reasons why she wanted to study ancient cultures. What motivated them to create science as it was currently known? The mix of early chemistry and philosophy that was once known as alchemy. It was fascinating.

Her joy at the find was barely tarnished at the thought that her mother would have loved to have seen this. She had been an excellent archeologist but had turned more to philosophy before she died. Anna wasn’t sure if it was because of her sickness, or something else, but it was the one thing that tarnished her mother’s impeccable name. Still, it had not been enough for the board to turn her daughter away when she applied.

Anna made an impulsive decision. One that she knew she might regret later, but she gently wrapped the book up in tissue and placed it to the side before she pulled out one of the new carbon fiber boxes and assembled it to place the items she had just recataloged and sorted. She tried not to seem rushed as she finished the last of her work. She knew there were no cameras in the room, but there were plenty elsewhere, so she removed her daily planner from her bag and placed the book gently in its place. The planner went into her wastebasket.

Once that was done, she grabbed both the bag and the wastebasket. The cart and her supplies would remain for her to pick back up the next day. She hugged the can to her chest, and the backpack went over her shoulder as she locked the door behind her and made her way outside.

She was already wondering if she had made the right choice when every little sound made her jump. She chastised herself when she made it to the garbage bins and had not run into anyone. Still, she was not yet safe. 

Anna emptied the bin and tried not to look as the planner was sent to the depths. She had liked that one, but it was replaceable. She then hit the button to compact the trash, a fact that she noticed had not been done in at least a few hours if the buildup was any indication. She grimaced at the reminder of her encounter with Andrew, but it helped to steady her nerves as she walked down the steps and to the employee parking lot. She was in her car and out of the gates before she managed to take in her first deep breath since she decided to become a thief.

She shook her head with a frown and spoke aloud to herself as she pulled into the parking garage where she lived. “Not a thief. I will take it back after I get a chance to look at it. Mom would kill me otherwise. I’m borrowing it only.”

Her frown deepened as she realized she was thinking more about her mother than she usually allowed herself. It wouldn’t do to break down now. Her mom was better off. At least she wasn’t in pain anymore, and they had talked a lot. She knew her mother was satisfied with the life she had been given, even if it was cut short. 

She growled as she got out of her car and shook those thoughts out as she made her way to the apartment above the restaurant she worked. It was one of four, and she was the only that lived in them besides the owners. It wasn’t much, but she had taken the loft, so she had a little more space. Not a lot else, since all their money had gone to hospital bills, but it was enough. At least for now.

She laid her bag gently on the table in her tiny kitchen area before she pulled off her shoes and padded across to the lonely beanbag near the window. That made up the bulk of her furniture. The only other things she had were several bookshelves that she refused to sell that still lined an entire wall and her bed shoved into the corner farthest from the window and city lights. Not that it mattered much. These days she didn’t spend much time in it. As she plopped down, she realized it was about to get even less.

She only gave herself a few minutes to admire the way the darkness allowed the city to look beautiful. Not that there weren’t parts of it that were gorgeous during the day, but the darkness hid the gritty and made it easy to imagine the lights were captured stars, or fairy fire, or other such nonsense. Anna felt one side of her mouth perk up in a half-smile at her thoughts before she heaved herself back up and to her table. There was no time like the present to get started. It wasn’t like she didn’t work at both places nearly every day anyway. If she wanted time, it would be up to her to make it.

* * *

The next two weeks turned into a blur, but if anyone asked why she looked so tired, Anna would claim a bad bout of insomnia. It wasn’t exactly untrue, but this time she had something other than her hectic thoughts keeping her awake.

The book she found was astonishing. She had expected some of it since she had been exposed to alchemical teachings in the past. It was kind of a hobby of her mother’s that grew into a lot more the last few years of her life. But this, this was _more_.

So many of the books she had read previously were allegorical. They were never meant to teach a person step by step instructions on how to follow through with experimentation. When Alchemy first made it resurgence during the renaissance, it was almost seen more for its esoteric pursuits. The transmutation of the human soul on the path to enlightenment. That obviously didn’t mean others didn’t follow the exoteric as well, and this book was a prime example. She wasn’t surprised to have found it where she did. It was important enough to be treasured but controversial enough to warrant a place on a back shelf.

The thought had her frowning as she read through a set of instructions again. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the whole thing, other than fascinated to find a piece of history in such good shape. Still, the premise behind it was interesting, and to her shock, everything was written with the basic principles of scientific theory in mind, even though it didn’t state them as such.

She grinned as she weighed the idea of trying it a few times. Obviously, there was no real philosopher’s stone, and people couldn’t turn lead into gold, but despite the infamy that alchemy was relegated too, it still seemed to hang around. Maybe there was something there? Her mother certainly believed so. She sighed at that random thought, but when she thought how her mother might feel if she could see her at that moment, she smiled.

That was all it took for her to clear her floor of any debris that she had left during her last two weeks of manic research. Once that was done, she planted herself on the floor with some old sidewalk chalk she had dug up. It was the best compromise since she was renting. At least she would be able to get it up easily.

She drew the circle out and set up the items inside that she would need. She was able to scrounge up a makeshift boiler and got the first step started. She would let it run overnight and bring back the rest of what she needed the next day. She grinned after she climbed into bed as she watched the small flame. It wasn’t long before she was out.

* * *

Two more weeks passed, and Anna was beginning to doubt this endeavor had been anything other than a waste of her time and money. She had seen some spectacular things, but nothing that amounted to anything other than pretty chemical reactions. With a sigh, she decided this was her last try. She would take the book back the next day no matter what. 

It wasn’t like she hadn’t copied parts of it down anyway. Even the strange words she couldn’t read. Those had all gone in her notebook first. She had hoped that if she had them all in place and written clearly, she might at least be able to get the translator app to recognize the language, but it was a lost cause. She might have asked a colleague, but that was the problem with being a, uh borrower.

As she was putting the last of the ingredients in, her gaze snagged on the cover art she had transcribed and the words that went around it. “One is all, and if you have not all, all is nothing.”

Every time she read those words, it made her smile. One of her favorite shows growing up had used something like them, and it was funny how close they were. She suddenly froze and blinked a few times as she read through it again. She looked down at the page, at the undecipherable writing, and then back to her pot. “Surely not.”

Still, the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to try it. It wasn’t as though it would hurt anything. If it failed, it would just be one more failure, right? She laughed at herself as she grabbed the knife she had been cutting ingredients with. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Still, she gritted her teeth and sliced the end of her finger open. “A little life material to gain life material back? Maybe.”

She held her finger over the pot and let it drip for several seconds before she pulled it back and grabbed a rag she had on hand. She then turned the heat on and sat back with a stupid grin. She chuckled to herself. “Well, at least I know that perhaps I should have focused more on my soul instead, huh?”

She hadn’t been expecting an answer and didn’t really get one. At least not in the form of words. She was shocked when she saw the circle she had drawn started to glow. She jumped up out of pure reaction and knocked her pot over. Not that it mattered. The floor under her had already begun to shake, and her feet felt like they were glued to it.

Suddenly the boards seemed to twist, and a line formed. It then snapped open to reveal an eye that was staring up at her. Anna wanted to scream, but nothing was coming out. This couldn’t be real. Her mind was rejecting what she was seeing and immediately thought she must have added something that created noxious fumes. As she felt herself plummet, she did finally scream. All she could think was that she hoped her landlords came to check on her before whatever it was did more than knock her out.

She closed her eyes and tried not to be sick as she rushed past twisted images that made no sense. It wasn’t until she finally came to a stop that she opened her eyes. She blinked a few times to get used to the brightness. There was nothing but white. No walls, no floor, no source for the light, and her mind was rejecting the impossibility of it.

Before she was given a chance to panic, a voice called out. “Anna, Anna, Anna. Do you know how long it has been since I have seen someone from your particular corner of the multiverse?”

Anna jerked around and froze. There was someone there, but there also wasn’t. She couldn’t quite see a person. It was more like the air was denser, or the light refracted just a little differently. Again, her mind could not accept it. She was given no time to argue as the thing took a step closer, and she suddenly saw that it had an eye. At that same moment, she felt a sharp pain explode in the left side of her face.

Her hand reached up instinctively, but she cringed at the warm, sticky, wet feeling her fingertips encountered. She choked back a scream and shook her head. “What is this?”

The being chuckled. “Do not pretend you don’t know. It will be easier for you to accept if you quit lying to yourself.”

“No.” Her voice was barely a whisper, but she wasn’t given a chance to do more when the thing smiled and Anna felt sick. She knew what was coming and refused to admit it. Still, despite her horror, she looked over her shoulder. She did scream then. Long and loud as her gate opened and the many hands came pouring out to take her.

She tried to grab the doors as she felt the things wrap around her and pull her into oblivion. The last thing she saw was a wave that was barely seen. The last words she heard before the blackness took her did not help her understand at all. “Since it’s been so long, I think it might be best for you to take a little trip. See, I can be merciful too.”


	2. Chapter 2

##  **Chapter 2**

Anna blinked when she felt rain on her face, but cringed when she was only able to open one eye. She reached up the rub her left eye out of instinct but stopped immediately when she felt the sunken lid, and what she imagined was crusted blood around it. The memory of what had just happened as well as the thought of losing her eye nearly made her vomit.

She pushed herself to her hands and knees and tried to take a few deep breaths. She had to calm down. Panic would get her nowhere. Despite how ludicrous it seemed, she had to figure out what happened, and why it was raining on her. Had she started a fire in her apartment and started the sprinklers? If so, she was likely to get evicted. 

That thought caused a groan as she finally managed to push herself into a kneeling position. What she saw had her one eye widening. She wasn’t in her apartment at all. It looked more like a dirty alleyway. How had she gotten into the streets? Where was she?

Her knees were still shaking in time with the pounding in her head, but she somehow managed to push herself to her feet. She had to lean against the wall, but she made her way slowly to the opening of the alley to see if there were any people. What she found made her knees buckle.

Two men were fighting back and forth in the narrow street, but that wasn’t what took the last of her strength. No, that was caused by how they were fighting. The one wearing blue kept making things seemingly out of thin air to use as projectiles, but all of them were blown to dust at a single touch by the other.

She had no idea what was going, and even if she had thought to stop them, she didn’t see how she could. It was quickly a moot point when the larger of the two managed to grab the man in blue by the face. It was only a matter of seconds later that he seemed to explode from the inside out.

Anna had never seen anything so gruesome. Her scream rang out before she could think of her own safety. Neither man had known she was there, and if she had stayed calm, she could have hidden, but her brain was already too overloaded. Even so, her instincts kicked in, and she tried to stand when the man with prominent scars across his face turned to her when she screamed.

Her legs would not work to hold her, so she immediately started pushing herself back as he strode her direction. His scowl would haunt her nightmares if she had the chance to have them. Her eyes were fixated on his hands as she tried to force her body to obey, to get away.

She flinched when he knelt in front of her, but his next actions made no sense. When he saw her face, his eyes widened before his frown returned, and he spoke. “Who did this to you?”

As soon as Anna realized he hadn’t reached out for her, she tried to scoot away again. The man grabbed her arm before he covered her mouth with his other to hold in her next scream. He shook his head. “I will not harm you, but I cannot help you here.”

Both their attention was drawn to the sound of sirens and flashing red lights reflecting off the wet walls of the alley. The man tsked before he let her go. “They will help you.”

That was the last thing he said before he ran around the corner, and she heard another explosion. Anna felt every muscle in her body go slack as she started crying again. This was too much. She had been raised to handle a lot, but this was way outside of ordinary.

Her head jerked up when several people, also dressed in blue uniforms, came running into the alley, and she couldn’t handle it anymore. Darkness rushed up, and that was the last she knew.

* * *

Colonel Roy Mustang had still been in his office when they had gotten the call that one of his alchemists was under attack. Despite Lieutenant Hawkeye’s protests due to the rain, he gathered his men, and they rushed to the location. He hid his frustration behind a slight frown as he looked down at the barely recognizable remains.

He barked out orders for his team to spread out and see what they could find as he knelt. His hands unerringly found the pocket watch that marked each state alchemist. The only indication of his rage was in his eye when he stood and placed it in his pocket.

He turned when he heard Lt. Hawkeye call out. “Sir, we have another person here.”

He was instantly headed to her location. “Another victim or a witness. Or do you think it is the attacker?”

Hawkeye shook her head as she looked up at him with a scowl. “I don’t think she is the attacker, but she needs medical attention. She might have been a witness.”

Mustang knelt and cringed when he finally caught sight of the bloody mess one side of the girl’s face was. He looked her over, and his eyebrow rose when he noted that she was wearing silk pajamas. He was pulled from wondering why she was wearing something so sheer out in the rain when his lieutenant shoved a walkie-talkie in front of his face. “It would be a good idea to call in back-up, sir. We can have her taken to the hospital and tended, so we can question her as soon as she wakes,”

Roy shook his head and chuckled at the glare she was giving him, but stood and took her advice. It wasn’t long before they had the scene cleared and the mystery woman on the way to help. Unfortunately, they had seen no trace of the person that had attacked them beyond the hole that was left in the wall.

* * *

Anna jerked awake with a scream. She had been having a nightmare about a faceless man with one eye that kept trying to touch her. She knew that if he succeeded that she would be blown to bits, so she had to keep running. It took her several moments to calm her breathing enough to notice she wasn’t in her own bed.

She looked around at the white walls, the white sheets, and the metal bed frame and realized she had to be in a hospital. It was then that she remembered the events from the previous night, and she reached up to touch her face. Her fingers were trembling, and she jerked them back as soon as they came into contact with the edge of a gauze bandage.

She swallowed a whimper, but her imminent breakdown was interrupted when the door opened, and a cheery woman walked in with a tray. “Oh good, you’re awake! The doctor sent some meds for you, so I hoped you would be.”

Anna eyed the woman for a moment as she set the tray down and flitted to open the curtains. When she came back to the bedside and grinned, Anna finally found her voice. “Meds? For what?”

The nurse patted her hand gently and gave her a sympathetic look. “It’s just a little something for the pain, and to keep out infection. Do you feel up to taking it?”

Anna eyed the pill cup warily. Her head was hurting, but she also knew she needed a clear mind. At least long enough to figure some things out. “I don’t want to go back to sleep yet.”

The nurse sighed and gave her a hard look. She took one of the pills from the cup and laid it back on the tray. “Then at least take this one and promise you’ll take the other one soon. You need to rest.”

Anna nodded and took the cup and the water. While she was doing that, the nurse turned and hit a button on the wall that was quickly answered by a tinny voice. The nurse in the room barely stopped as she spoke. “Could you please bring a lunch tray for room 43, our guest is awake. Also, call down and let Colonel Mustang know. He asked to be notified as soon as she was lucid.”

Anna froze at that name. Her breath picked up, and the nurse turned to her with concern. “Don’t worry honey, I know you must still be scared, but you’re safe here. I promise. The Colonel only wants to ask you a few questions about last night, but we won’t let him stay for long. It’ll be fine.”

Anna felt her heart racing, and she tried to take deep breaths to calm it. There was no way. Despite what she had seen the night before, the name had to be a coincidence, right? 

The nurse finally got her attention and helped her focus so she would quit panicking. Once her breathing was even, the woman took her blood pressure with a frown. She shook her head as she did so. “I can understand why you’re scared, but getting worked up will only make it worse. You need to focus on resting for now.”

Before Anna could respond, another woman dressed in white brought in a steaming tray with a smile. She set it down with a nod and was out of the room as quickly as she came in. The nurse turned from her to lift the lid and smiled as she pushed the table over. “Here, I’m sure you’re hungry. Why don’t you eat a little, then you can take your other pill. By that time, the Colonel should be here, and you should be ready to go back to sleep as soon as he’s gone.”

Anna ignored the little pink capsule next to her tray, but she nodded to the nurse anyway. She needed space to think, and she wasn’t going to get it without at least playing along. With another smile, the nurse turned to leave. “I’ll be back to check on you later.”

Once the woman was gone, Anna looked over the tray. Her stomach revolted at the thought of food, but her gaze snagged on a teacup. It was already filled with lukewarm tea, so she doubted it would be great, but it was better than nothing. Tea always helped to calm the nerves, right?

Even though her hands were trembling, she managed to lift the cup and looked into the contents. Despite not trying to, her gaze still caught on the reflective surface of the liquid in the cup. It wasn’t clear enough to show details, but the gauze covering half her face didn’t need to be detailed. The reminder of her situation once again had her in a near panicked state, and she didn’t feel it as the cup slipped from her nerveless hands.

She was jerked from her panic with the sound of shattering ceramic and the splash of lukewarm liquid all over her front. She looked down and immediately started crying. It wasn’t that she was hurt, or even that she had made a mess. She didn’t even know how to start handling this. Could it have all really happened? Did she really see the Truth?

With that last thought, Anna shakily started to gather together the pieces of the broken cup. There was one sure way to try and verify her sanity. To see if the random stuff still floating in her head was what she thought it was.

Once she had all the pieces together, she wiped at her good eye to clear her vision. She then shakily put her palms together. As soon as they touched, she felt a jolt pass through her, and her breath caught. Still, that wasn’t proof. Her hands were shaking so bad she wasn’t sure she could make it connect, so she grabbed her right wrist with her left hand as she touched the pieces of the cup with her forefinger.

She choked on a scream when the jolt she felt rushed out of her and into the pieces. It was less than a second, and the cup stood whole once again. Anna buried her face in her hands at the sight of it while she tried not to let her sobs break her.

She wasn’t sure how long it was later, but her crying was interrupted by a cheery male voice. “Hey, now, haven’t you heard that pretty girls aren’t supposed to cry?”

Anna’s head jerked up, and her one good eye popped open in disbelief at the man she saw standing there. She didn’t even realize she had moved until his face showed his shock. She had jumped out of bed and was pressed into the corner as she shook her head. “Impossible. This is impossible.”

The man slowly came around the side of the bed with his hands up. “Easy now. You don’t have to be afraid. I promise we’re here to help. I just need to ask you a few questions.”

Both of their attention was drawn to the door when a sharp voice called out as two people entered. “Hey! Colonel Bastard! Quit making me chase you around town. You told me to meet you this morning and then you ain’t in your office. What the hell!”

“Not now, Edward.” The man had spoken over his shoulder through gritted teeth, but his attention was jerked back to the woman when she started to speak. He didn’t think she realized she was speaking aloud as she was focused on the two boys.

“Roy Mustang, and the Elric brothers. What the hell. How? Oh god. A little trip? A little trip, my ass. How in the hell did I wind up in Amestris?’

Throughout her panicked ranting, Anna had been watching the boys. Particularly Edward and his left arm. Every time her gaze would drop to his arm, her hand unconsciously went up to her eye, and she shook her head. None of this went without notice, at least to one of the others.

Edward grabbed his brother’s arm and pulled him back to the door. “Alphonse, let’s let the Colonel handle this.” He paused and raised his voice. “We’ll meet you at your office later.”

Roy wasn’t sure what made the kid wise up, but he wasn’t going to complain. He nodded to him before he focused on the girl again. Her eye was still wide, and she was still shaking, but she was focused on him once more. He tried to give her a smile to ease her nerves. Whatever this was about, he had no doubts that this woman had more to tell him than just what she saw the night before. Recognizing him on sight was one thing, but the Elrics was another thing altogether.

Still, he couldn’t get answers if she was too upset. He held out his hand again and kept his voice even. “Let me help you back to the bed. I’m sure that after whatever happened to you that you need to keep calm.”

Anna took his hand and let him lead her back to the hospital bed, but her mind was barely hanging on. This was real. He was real. The Elrics were real. That meant that all of it was. This wasn’t a nightmare brought on by noxious fumes or anything else she could easily write off. Somehow, she had opened the gate to the Truth, and it took the toll in the form of her left eye. Then, instead of sending her back home, it sent her to Amestris. How in the hell is that having mercy? She couldn’t stop her frown at the thought, but she was pulled from her turmoil when Mustang pulled up a chair so he could talk to her.

“Why don’t we start by introducing ourselves. You seem to have an idea who I am, so let’s start with your name.”

Anna nodded slowly and closed her eye. Now was not the time to forget herself. If she was going to survive and find a way home, she needed to make sure not to get on these guys' bad sides. She clenched her jaw as she looked over and wondered if he could handle the truth. She discarded the idea as soon as she thought it. There was no way. At least not yet. With a sigh, she nodded. “My name is Annabell Stephenson. Everyone just calls me Anna.”

Roy gave her a charming smile and held out his hand for her to take. She shook it tentatively before he sat back. “Annabell is a lovely name. Well, Ms. Stephenson, you were correct in assuming I am the infamous Colonel Roy Mustang.”

Anna almost chuckled at how thick he was laying his charm on. It would be funny as hell if the circumstances were different. She managed to bite the inside of her cheek to keep it to just a smile as he continued. “Do you mind telling me what happened last night? Did you see anything before you passed out?”

What was she going to tell them if she couldn’t tell them the truth? It would have to be some version of it, or else she was likely to get herself in more trouble. She looked up and caught his gaze with a frown. At least she was calmer now than she had been when he first walked in.

“First, I need to apologize for that. I am sure you heard me, so you have to understand I am not from around here. Secondly, I didn’t see the face of my attacker.” She had to stop and swallow down the bile that thought created. She hadn’t seen their face because they didn’t have one. All except her eye. 

She squeezed her remaining eye shut for a few seconds and shook her head before she continued. “All I know was that I was taken from my apartment, and then when I woke up, it was in that alley. I tried to leave but I saw… I saw-“

That time the nausea was too much. She snapped her teeth closed and slammed her hand over her mouth to keep from making a fool of herself. Roy was on his feet and by her side instantly. As terrified as she was, Anna was still grateful that he was patting her shoulder and trying to soothe her. “It’ll be alright. Take your time.”

Anna shook her head as she tried to swallow back her terror with the rest. She was thankful there was at least a little water left in the cup next to her bed when she grabbed it. Once she washed the bitter taste from her mouth, she leaned back against the headboard and tried to continue without reliving the nightmare.

“Two men were fighting. One was wearing a uniform similar to yours, so I guess he must have been a state alchemist. The other was a tall man in brownish clothes. It was hard to tell with the rain. All I know for sure if that he is the one that killed your coworker, and he… he had crossing scars on his face.”

Anna suddenly realized who that must have been, and it made her feel faint. She somehow kept it together as Mustang gave her a searching look. “Did he try to attack you as well?”

She shook her head. “No. I thought he was going to, but he just grabbed me and put his hand over my mouth to keep me from screaming again. I heard the sirens almost right after that, and that is when he left. I guess that was your men, but I had already passed out.”

Mustang had a slight furrow between his brows, but he got to his feet and managed another charming smile. “Well, thank you for speaking with me. For now, get some rest. I will come back after you’ve had a chance to feel a little better, but if you can think of anything else, let me know.”

She nodded as he walked out before she allowed herself to flop back on the bed. What the hell had she managed to get herself into? If she was in Amestris, and that really was the Elrics, then she needed to figure out a few things and fast. Getting home was important, but it wouldn’t mean a damn thing if she was killed before she could. She sighed as the pounding in her head got worse. She couldn’t afford to be down now, but she knew she needed to think straight too. She grabbed the pill and hoped that when she woke, she would have a clearer head to figure this out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited. I actually think Roy might be a little more understanding than Anna believes, but I don't blame her :) Anyway, I hope you are enjoying it so far. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

##  **Chapter 3**

When Ed and Al left the Colonel to deal with the panicking woman, instead of heading back down, Ed had them heading around the corner to wait. Al looked down, and curiosity could be heard in his voice. “Ed, you left without asking anything. What happened?”

Ed was still peeking around the corner, so he looked back with a frown. “Hey Al, did you notice the way that woman was looking at us? Me in particular?”

Al shook his head. “Not really. All I could tell was that she was afraid. Do you know who she is?”

“No, not a clue, but we’re gonna find out.” Al did not like the way his brother’s voice sounded, but he also knew better than to argue. Once Ed made up his mind, it would be hard to change.

It was a little more than fifteen minutes later that Ed jerked back around the corner when Mustang come back out of the girl’s room. The brothers waited until they heard his footsteps fade around the far bend before Ed waved, and they headed straight for the room the man just vacated.

* * *

Anna had barely had a chance to lay her head down when the door slammed open again. She looked up and groaned at the sight of the two Elrics before she let her head flop back. “Can I not catch a break.”

Ed was immediately by her bedside while Al closed the door. “Hey, woman. I want to know who you are and why you kept looking at me that way?”

Anna had to remind herself that he was only fifteen, and no matter the different world, it would probably be frowned on if she decked him. She sat up with a sigh and tried to glare at him. “Is that how you make friends with everyone, or am I a special case?”

Ed’s glare matched hers as he leaned forward. “Just answer the damn question.”

She huffed. “Why don’t you try asking like a person first.”

Al grabbed his brother before he could do anything stupid and looked over at the woman. “Please ma’am, I understand that you were attacked last night, but you recognized us both, so can you explain that? It doesn’t happen often.”

Anna sighed and gave the younger boy a smile. It didn’t last long, and she shook her head. “I can try, but I don’t know if it will make sense. Although, if anyone would believe me, it would be the two of you.”

Ed’s eyes narrowed as he jerked away from Al’s hold. “I knew it. You’ve seen it haven’t you.”

Anna didn’t need him to verify what he was talking about. Her eyes flitted down to his right arm, and she had to clench her fist in the sheets to keep from reaching up again. All she did was nod.

Al gasped at her agreement. He finally understood what Ed had been talking about when the woman looked down at his brother’s automail arm before she nodded. He lowered his voice before he spoke. “You’ve seen the gate too?”

She sighed and closed her eye before she looked up and shrugged. “Yes.” That was all she could get out.

Ed made a disgusted noise next to her and pinned her with a heated glare. “That’s it? That explains your eye, but not why you kept looking at my arm. You knew it was automail. How?”

Anna’s eye snapped open, and her mind was whirling. These boys needed help. Desperately, but she knew that she couldn’t just tell them about Father and the homunculi. Not if she wanted to keep Edward from rushing to confront the Fuhrer. Besides, she needed to find out which reality she was in first. It wasn’t like she didn’t know there was more than one conflicting story she had heard. Which one was real? God, the thought made her head hurt. How was any of this real in the first place?

She shook her head when Al grabbed his brother again. “Look, all I can tell you is that I’m not from Amestris at all. I have heard of the two of you. A lot about you. I know the reason you are called Fullmetal has nothing to do with your automail, but your style of alchemy and attitude. That is why I know you are Ed and he is Al. There are a few other things I know, but-“

She cut herself off as she could see both boys were not buying it. She started to run her hand down her face but froze as her hand touched the gauze. Her fingers turned into a fist, and she swallowed before she looked back at the two of them. “I can’t tell you more than that. What I can tell you is the last thing the Truth told me before the gates shut. Maybe you will understand then.”

That got both of their attention. Al couldn’t remember the encounter at all, and Ed wasn’t fond of remembering, but he understood how cryptic the being could be. It was interesting to him that the woman called it the Truth. “What was it?”

She sighed. “I was told it had been a long time since they had seen someone from my corner of the multiverse. They then said since it had been so long that it would be best if I took a little trip. Something about it being a mercy instead of sending me home. That was when I woke up in an alley here in Amestris instead of back in my apartment.”

Ed was scowling, and Al was rubbing his chin. Finally, it was Al that spoke. “Why do you think it said it was a mercy?”

Ed scoffed, but Anna closed her eye. Despite the danger she was in, that was one thing she was pretty sure she understood, and she had to agree it might be a mercy. “I can’t say for sure, but I think it was because alchemy doesn’t exist where I am from. Since I can now use it without drawing a circle, I would probably be targeted. Either to be used in experiments or to be killed to keep the rest of the world from learning the truth.”

Ed cursed, and Al froze. Ed was the first to recover. “Wait, if it doesn’t exist where you’re from, then how did you open the gate?”

Anna sighed. “It was an accident. I was working with an ancient transcribed text. I honestly didn’t believe anything would happen when I added my blood.”

Ed rolled his eyes and nearly growled at her. “Idiot! How could you be so stupid to play with forces you don’t understand fully! If you were smart enough to get the formula right, then surely you understood enough to know what could happen!”

Al grabbed Ed once more. “I apologize for my brother, but it’s hard to see other people be so careless.”

Anna gave him a nod. “I understand. I was careless, but you both need to remember that to me, _alchemy wasn’t real_. At least not in the sense that it is here in Amestris. It was an ancient art that was relegated to the same light as snake oil and other charlatans. The book I found seemed more like the beginnings of early chemistry, not alchemy in the sense I knew it. I wasn’t trying to transmute a human or even create a philosopher's stone. Not really. I was following the instructions and trying to see something ancient brought to the light of the future. I’m an anthropologist. I was looking for living history.”

Both boys had frozen during her speech. When she finished, Ed turned to her with narrowed eyes. “You know about the Philosopher’s Stone?”

Anna’s expression matched his. “No.” Despite what she did know, that was one more thing that she needed to figure how to share with them without causing more harm than good. First, she needed more information.

She shook her head. “It was a legend. It was said that if a person could create it that they could have the elixir of life and gain immortality. They could also use it to transmute lead into gold and become wealthy beyond measure. It was a fantasy to goad dreamers on, nothing more.”

Ed glared at the woman but didn’t speak right away. He wasn’t sure what to believe. She seemed to be telling the truth, but he knew there was more she wasn’t saying. “You said that thing said something about you coming from the far corner of the ‘multiverse,’ right? Does that mean you are from another dimension or something?”

Anna chuckled. Ed was too smart for his own good. She looked at him and shrugged. “I don’t know exactly. All I do know is that I am not from this planet. It could be another dimension or simply another corner of the universe.”

They both turned when Al let out a shocked sound, but quickly turned back to face each other. Ed started pacing with his hand on his chin. He only did so for a few moments before he stopped and glared at her again. “If that is the case, then how did you know us?”

Anna could already feel the medicine kicking in and wished the Elric brothers had waited. It was a futile wish, and she knew it, so she tried to formulate an answer that would make sense. “I guess there is some connection between our worlds. I have heard stories of your world in mine, but they are muddled and contradictory, so I know a few people and maybe some events, like the war in Ishval, but not much else. I never thought that they were real.”

Ed ran his hand down his face roughly before he stared at his brother. It was several moments before any of them spoke again. The older boy finally turned back to Anna with a frown. “If you are telling the truth, then I can’t help but think there was a reason you were dropped here specifically. That thing doesn’t do things randomly. I don’t always understand, but I know that much. We have things to look into, but we’ll talk to Mustang and see if we can’t figure something out. Just keep your head down for now.”

Al finally piped up from the other side of the room. “Maybe we can tell him she’s our cousin from uhm, maybe Creta? That is probably the easiest border to cross, and he already knows she isn’t from Amestris.”

Ed grinned at his brother. “That’s a great idea for now! It would explain how she knew us too.”

Anna stared at both boys with shock. “Why would you lie for me?”

Ed frowned back at her. “Human transmutation is taboo. Most people don’t know that is what happened to us. If anyone found out, we would be in a lot of trouble. Even if you didn’t know what you were doing, it would still cause problems. Until we figure this out, it would be best if we keep this between us.”

Anna started to thank him but was interrupted by an involuntary yawn. She covered it quickly and shook her head. “Sorry, they gave me something for the pain. Anyway, thank you. I know this is weird. It’s scary as hell for me, but I’m glad you’re willing to listen, at least.”

Ed scratched the back of his head at the look she was giving him and waved her thanks off. “Don’t thank us until we get this straight. I’m still not thrilled to know you were so reckless, but you seem the type to at least learn from your mistakes. I have a feeling there is something bigger going on anyway. Rest for now, and we’ll be back later.” Anna could feel her brain turning to mush, but she managed a nod as the boys turned to leave. She had barely managed to lay back down before she was out again.

* * *

It was dark when Anna next opened her eye. She yawned and stretched before she sat up and looked around. She felt much better than she had the first time she woke up, but that didn’t keep her from jumping with a short scream when she saw a person sitting next to her bed in the dark. The man was sitting forward and looking at her intently. It took her a moment to realize it was the Colonel.

She put her hand over her heart as she shook her head. “Haven’t you ever been told it’s rude to sit in a girl’s room after dark without permission?”

He sat back with a chuckle. “I apologize if I frightened you. I came to check and see how you were feeling. The nurses said you had been given something for pain, but that it should be wearing off soon. Don’t worry, I haven’t been here long.”

Once her heart was beating normally again, Anna narrowed her eyes at the man. Surely he didn’t personally check on all witnesses and sit there waiting for them to wake. What wasn’t he saying? “Pardon me if this sounds rude, but you are a Colonel. Surely checking on a witness would be better delegated to one of your subordinates. Especially since you had to wait. Wouldn’t your time be better spent on other things?”

Mustang smirked at her, but she didn’t miss the flash of something a little dangerous in his eyes. “You might be right, but I never miss the opportunity to talk to a pretty woman.”

Anna almost rolled her eyes. Almost. The only thing that kept her from it was the knowledge that his words were flirting, but his eyes were not. She had plenty of experience with the former, but the latter was new. She held his gaze for several seconds before she spoke again. “Why are you really here, Colonel?”

His smirk widened, and he sat forward again. “The Elric brothers came to my office earlier. Can you imagine what they had to tell me?”

Anna sighed and shook her head. “I am sure they were just as shocked to see me as I was to see them. Our families were separated long ago. I barely recognized Ed from the pictures I had. Since they are inseparable, I assumed the other was Al.”

Mustang’s smirk dropped from his face immediately as he sat back. “So, you are cousins?”

She shrugged. “Distant cousins.”

He sighed and frowned. “Does that mean you are also an alchemist? They said your family used to know the practice, but weren’t sure of your talent.”

Anna felt her jaw clench. Those boys. They certainly knew how to twist the truth to fit the circumstances. Was that their solution to get the Colonel to keep her close? They were going to get her killed!

Her expression then turned to a grimace when she realized it wasn’t any worse than what she was doing. Perhaps this could work in her favor. She finally nodded. “Yes. I am still new, so my talent is questionable, but I do know some alchemy.”

Mustang frowned. “I know not all places are as accepting of alchemy as Amestris. Was that why you were attacked?”

Anna felt a prickle behind her eye. His reasoning was wrong, but his theory was still at least somewhat correct. That fact had her clenching her fists in her lap and staring down at them as she answered. “I cannot tell you who attacked me, or why they dumped me in an alley in Amestris, but I do know that it had something to do with alchemy.”

Mustang sighed as he sat back. “Well, for now, I can offer you protection while we investigate. You’ll be here for a few more days anyway.”

He then stood to leave, but paused and gave her another of his charming smiles. “Perhaps once you feel up to it, you can even show me your skill level. If you are related to the Elrics, it has to be more than you claim. That kind of skill doesn’t come along often.”

Anna did roll her eyes at that point. “That level of skill takes years of practice and an extraordinary level of genius. I am an anthropologist first. I only started looking into alchemy because it became a passion of my mother’s in the last few years of her life.”

He froze next to the door and turned to her with examining eyes. “Your mother has passed away?”

Anna had to swallow once before she was able to speak. “Yes. Nine months ago. She was an acclaimed archeologist, but she got sick nearly four years ago. After that, we spent most of our free time looking into alchemy. I think it was just her way of sharing her last days with me. She told me before she left that she was glad we got to spend so much time together.”

He was still giving her a look like he wasn’t sure how to take what she was saying. “And your father?”

She frowned at him before she laughed under her breath and shrugged. “That would require me knowing who he was. If mom knew, she never told me.”

He finally chuckled at that. He smirked at her. “She sounds like a strong woman.”

Anna gave him a genuine smile. “Yes, she was.”

His eyes widened slightly before he gave her a slight bow. “Well, I apologize for taking up so much of your time. I look forward to our next meeting.”

Anna sighed when he walked out and leaned back. Things were moving too fast, and she still had no idea when she was or even which reality she was in. That one was giving her more of a headache than the rest. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the stories, but the fact that there was more than one was a killer. Which reality was really real? God, just thinking that sentence made her feel insane. She chuckled to herself and tried to think of how she was going to figure out her next steps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone else feel like they are running around all crazy like? I kinda do, even though she hasn't left the hospital lol. So much being thrown at her, so many questions, and so few answers. At least they have the words of the Truth (haha, sorry) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed.


	4. Chapter 4

##  **Chapter 4**

The next day was both better and worse. The pain in Anna’s head had lessened to a dull thud, even after the doctor had come in and removed the gauze to check the damage. That had been an event she could have gone the rest of her life without living through, but what was done was done. At least he was sure the threat of infection was passed, and she was healing well.

Once he was gone, the nurses tried to get her to sleep more, but she could not stay in bed. Despite their protests, she finally managed to convince them that she needed to get clean more than she needed to sleep. They did not have showers available, but they were able to help provide her with a bath. It was better than nothing.

The only problem she had was trying to keep the water off her face. She had been told to not allow it to soak her eye. She was given a patch, but it was only somewhat helpful when she was trying to wash her hair. She tried not to think about what else would be affected by her carelessness while she put on a clean hospital gown. Not that she wanted to wear one, but it was the only option for the moment.

When she was finally back in her room, she felt restless. She felt less gross, yes, but had too much on her mind to settle, no matter how many times she was reprimanded. Every time the nurses came in, they found her near the window instead of in bed.

It was afternoon when the door opened once again, and Anna turned with a sigh. She was just getting ready to defend her need to get out of the hospital when she froze at the sight of a new but recognizable person. The woman gave her a small smile as she entered and closed the door.

“Hello, I am Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. I’m glad to see you’re feeling better.”

Anna knew she had been staring, so she shook off her shock and walked to shake the other woman’s hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Anna Stephenson. Was there something else you needed?”

Riza shook her head. “Not at all. I was asked to check and see if there was anything else _you_ might need, or if you might remember anything else. I was the one to find you, so I’m glad to see you are already up and around.”

Anna unconsciously reached up and touched the patch that had taken the place of the gauze before she shook off thoughts of that night. She managed to return the smile. “Thank you. I appreciate the help. Honestly, I have already given the Colonel all the information I can remember, but I am ready to get out of here. I’m not sure where I can go exactly, but I’m going stir-crazy.”

The lieutenant smiled a little wider and held up a bag that had been behind her back. “Well, I can’t say anything about when you can leave, but I was asked to bring this over. From what I heard, we doubted you would have clothes, so the Colonel asked me to bring something appropriate. I hope these fit.”

Anna took the bag with a grin. That was the best thing she had heard all day. “Thank you! You have no idea how frustrating it is to only be able to wear this thing.”

Riza chuckled as the woman disappeared behind a curtain for privacy. It was only a few minutes later that Anna emerged wearing a plain pair of black pants and a light blue button-up shirt. It wasn’t the most feminine thing she had ever worn, but she preferred it to a dress, and it was worlds better than the hospital gown. 

She grinned at Riza. “Thank you! Seriously. And, just for the record, I’m glad you brought pants.”

The lieutenant shook her head with a smile. “I hoped it would work well enough for now. I didn’t have time to go shopping, and I thought we were close to the same size. You look a little taller, but not by much.”

Anna looked down in shock and then back over. “These are yours?”

Riza nodded once. “I hardly have a chance to wear much more than my uniform, so don’t worry about it for now. You can return them as soon as you have the chance to get something else.”

Anna wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, so she nodded. “Well, thank you again. I know you said you didn’t know where I could go, but does this mean I can leave the hospital at least? Are the Elric brothers still in town? I know we are distant, but I am sure they could at least point me in the right direction.”

Riza looked slightly uncomfortable, but she shook her head. “I have not heard that you have been released yet, but Ed and Al are still in town and will be for a few more days, at least. They are doing some research with one of the other state alchemists here in East City, so you should have plenty of time to speak to them before they leave.”

Anna frowned at her answer. It wasn’t so much that she couldn’t leave yet, which was annoying, but there was only one thing those boys ever researched. She didn’t think much of it had gone on in East City, which caused an unease that exploded into outright dread as another thought occurred to her. “Who? Who are they working with?”

Riza gave her a concerned look. “Ma’am, you should stay calm. I know that you may be wary of others right now, but I assure you those boys can take care of themselves.”

Anna gritted her teeth and tried not to yell. She had a feeling she already knew, and if she were right, she didn’t have time for them to restrain her for being mental. She somehow forced her voice to not shake as she asked again. “Would you please tell me who they are working with?”

The lieutenant frowned. She didn’t see why it was important enough for the woman to be so insistent, but she also saw no reason to deny her request. Hopefully, it would calm her down. “They are working with the Sewing-Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker.”

Anna suddenly felt faint. She grabbed the windowsill to keep steady, but her brain was already a whirling mass of confusion and fear. It couldn’t have happened yet, right? There was no way it happened. Surely, if it had, then the brothers wouldn’t still be there. With that last thought, she looked up only to see Riza had moved to her side and was giving her a worried look. Before the woman could ask, Anna spoke up.

“I need to see them immediately. I know that isn’t why you came, but can you at least tell me how to find them? I’ll walk there if I have to.”

Riza took a step back and frowned. “Miss Stephenson, I have already told you we have not been given permission to take you from the hospital yet. The Colonel is working on arrangements for a place for you to stay while we conclude the investigation, but in the meantime, it would be best if you remained here.”

Anna shook her head and swallowed back a scream. She knew it might not be as urgent as it felt, but this was one thing she refused to stand down for. “I appreciate your position, really I do. However, it is my life and my health, and I am perfectly capable of taking responsibility for it. I just need an address, and I will take care of the rest. This is something personal that I need to speak to them about, something I just remembered. It is also urgent. Please.”

Riza gave her a troubled look. She could tell that something was bothering the woman, but she could also recognize the stubborn set of her jaw. She almost smiled as she wondered if that streak was a family trait. Finally, she pointed to the chair. “Rest and calm yourself for a moment. Let me go talk to the doctors, and I will see what I can do.”

Anna realized the woman had not agreed to any of her requests, but she also recognized that this was a compromise. She could afford a few minutes, especially if it somehow worked to get her there faster in the end. She really did not relish the idea of trying to find them in a foreign city with nothing but a name. She finally nodded and took the seat as she watched the lieutenant walk out.

Nearly ten minutes had passed, and Anna had to fight the urge to get up and pace. It was only the thought that if Riza returned and saw her up and nervous again, she might not appreciate it. With that thought in mind, she tried her best to at least keep up an appearance of calm.

That didn’t stop her from practically jumping up as soon as the lieutenant returned with a frowning doctor in tow. She took up a position by the door while the doctor approached Anna. He gestured to the bed. “Ms. Stephenson, please take a seat. I hear that you feel you are ready to leave? What could possibly be so important? I know this has to be hard for you, but you have to understand that your loss could cause complications. We need to be able to observe you for a few days still and make sure you are adjusting well.”

Anna clenched her jaw and unconsciously touched the patch again before she shook her head. “I appreciate your efforts, but this is nothing compared to what could happen. I do not have the luxury of time to mourn my losses yet. Can we agree for me to come back for a check-up daily? That should be enough, right? You said yourself this morning that there is no infection, and I am already healing.”

The man gave her a concerned look, but he shook his head. “I don’t know why I bother. As soon as I found out you were related to that little, hard-headed, loud-mouthed, pain in the ass, I should have expected as much.”

Anna blinked a few times to try and assimilate what he had said. To make sure she had heard him correctly. When it sank in, she clamped her lips together to keep from laughing. She somehow managed to swallow it and cleared her throat. “I am unsure if that was supposed to be a complimentary comparison or not, but you do understand that we are distant cousins, so the connection is tenuous at best, right? Still, is that a yes?”

The man made a disgusted noise and threw his hands in the air before he pinned her with a glare. “If you are not back here by 09:00 tomorrow for a check-up, then I will be asking to have you readmitted. Understood?”

She gave him a nod. “Of course.”

He was still grumbling as he walked out, but Anna’s attention had already turned to Riza. Before she could ask, the lieutenant opened the door. “I took the liberty of calling the Colonel while I was out. His instructions were that if you were released, then I was to take you to see your cousins.”

Anna sighed in relief, but only took a moment before she walked out the open door. “I’m ready when you are.”

Riza quickly fell into step beside her, and the two women didn’t speak as they headed out and down to a car that was waiting. It wasn’t until they were in the car and started down the road that Anna turned to her once again. “Thank you. I know this may seem strange to you, but I really appreciate you doing this.”

Riza shook her head and smiled as she watched the road. “You may claim that your relationship is distant, but I have seen that look before. Those two seem to find their way into people’s hearts pretty fast. I may not understand everything, but I can recognize worry when I see it. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Anna mumbled her thanks as she focused outside. Yes, she was worried about the boys, but that was only part of it. Now that they were on the way, she was more concerned about what they would find. It was practically tearing a hole in her stomach.

Thankfully, it was only a matter of minutes before they arrived. Almost as soon as the car stopped, Anna had the door open and was practically running down the sidewalk and to the front gate. It was standing open, and she froze when she stepped into the yard just in time to see the great Edward Elric being trounced by an overgrown sheepdog.

The sight sent a storm of emotions through her with relief being the strongest, followed quickly by rage and confusion. This was really happening. She felt her knees give way as Al stood from where he was talking to Nina. She barely noticed his metal body stiffen at the sight of her. She was too busy trying not to cry at the sight of the child and her dog playing so innocently with the Fullmetal alchemist.

She was pulled from her thoughts when both Al and Riza made it to her side at the same time. The lieutenant was frowning at her as Al helped her to her feet. He was the first to speak with concern. “Are you alright? Why are you here? Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?”

She wasn’t given a chance to answer before a tiny head popped out from behind the giant suit of armor. “Hello, pretty lady. Are you a friend of Big Brother Al?”

Anna nearly choked, but she managed a smile. “Sort of. We’re kind of related.” She knelt at that point so she would be on the same level as the girl. “My name is Anna, what is yours?”

The girl giggled and grabbed onto Al’s leg. “I’m Nina. That’s Alexander playing with Little Big Brother Ed.”

“Well, he looks like a great friend.” Anna could hear a scream echoing inside her head, but it never made it out of her mouth. She hoped it wasn’t showing on her face, but she felt she wasn’t doing such a good job when the girl frowned.

“Are you sick? Is that why you are wearing that thing on your eye?”

Anna suddenly did feel slightly ill. It was too much seeing this flesh and blood girl. It was horrifying thinking of what might happen to a fictional character, but this girl was still a baby. She had a _life._ Somehow she managed to shake her head. “No, I’m not sick, but I was injured. I’ll be okay. I was hoping to have a chance to speak with Ed and Al. I know you are playing, but would it be alright if I borrow them both for just a few minutes? I promise it won’t be long.”

Nina seemed to contemplate her request for a moment. “Will you play with us too? After you talk?”

Anna tasted ash on her tongue as she knew her next words were a lie. She didn’t know what would come next, but she had no doubt there would be no playing. She still nodded. “I would love to play with you.”

Nina giggled again before she called for Alexander. Riza had watched the exchange with a critical eye. At first, she had thought the woman was not as recovered as she claimed to be, but it was not difficult to discern that the longer she talked to the girl, the worse she felt. It was a look of thinly concealed horror. One that she had seen too often on the faces of her fellow soldiers in the last years. The look of someone that had a mission to accomplish and hated every minute of it.

Despite her doubt, she did not move to interfere when the child took the dog back in the house, and the Elrics faced their long-lost cousin with frowns. Ed had made his way over. He glanced at the Lieutenant with a deeper frown before he pulled the woman to the far corner of the yard. Riza frowned. Her instincts were screaming that they were up to something. Still, she trusted the Elrics enough to stand back and watch, plus she trusted her superior, and those had been his orders. For now.

Once Ed, Al, and Anna were out of earshot, he turned to her and whispered angrily. “What are you doing here? Didn’t we say to stay low?”

Anna squared her shoulders. “Yes, but that was before I knew where you were. W-who you were working with.”

“But we aren’t working with anyone. Despite Brother being a state alchemist, we pretty much work alone.” 

Al’s voice sounded almost confused, but Anna shook her head. “That isn’t what I meant.” She then turned to face Ed. “Your motto is equivalent exchange, right?”

Ed raised a brow at her question and nodded. “Yeah, so what?”

She ignored his look and continued. “Then it shouldn’t surprise you that I have something to offer. Your help in me not getting put into a mental institute when people try to figure out where I came from, and me giving you information as I figure it out.”

Ed stood up straight and gave her a smirk. “Glad you brought it up. I didn’t want to push you last night since you looked like you were about to pass out, but yeah. That is exactly what I was thinking.”

Anna nearly glared at him. Not that his attitude bothered her, but she was sick just thinking about what she was about to say. “Good. Now that that’s out of the way, there is something you need to know _now_.”

Al leaned a little closer, and Ed gave her a hard look. “Now? As in this minute or else?”

They both stood stiffly when she nodded. She didn’t wait for them to ask questions. “I told you I had heard many conflicting stories, so I wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t, right? Well, one of them was the same throughout. They all agreed on one thing, and I _refuse_ to let it go unchecked.”

“What is it already!?”

Ed’s temper barely fazed Anna. She had too many other things on her mind. She shook the horrors off and pinned the shorter male with a glare of her own. “You are smart, Edward. Think. Did it not strike you as odd that Tucker’s wife ‘left’ him at the same time he had his first significant breakthrough.”

Ed’s eyes narrowed before they widened, and he took a step back. “No.”

Anna gave him a disgusted nod. “Yes. His wife never really left.”

Al had caught up by that point. His gasp was broken when Ed pushed past Anna hard enough to knock her off her feet. He didn’t even pause. Al looked down hesitantly, but she shook her head. “Go after him! You know he can’t do what he’s planning. That isn’t justice.” When he still seemed hesitant, she pointed to the house. “Go stop him!”

He jumped when she yelled and ran after his brother. Anna was shocked when Riza was immediately by her side and helping her up with a frown. “Do I want to know what just happened?”

Anna shook her head. “We need to get in there and stop Ed from trying to kill Shou Tucker.”

Riza’s eyes widened, but Anna was impressed that was all she did. The lieutenant told her to sit on the steps while she ran to the car. She was only gone a few moments before she was back with her gun drawn and running into the house after the two boys. Anna put her head in her hands. She only allowed herself a moment before she pushed herself up. No matter what happened, there would be a confused little girl in there that would not understand any of this. No matter what he did, or planned to do, Shou Tucker was still that little girl’s father. Anna had no doubt that she might have saved the girl’s life, but that didn’t mean this was going to be painless for any of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we see our first big familiar scene. As you can tell, things are already going to be shaken up, so canon might get a bit patchy, but I'm hoping it will still be a story you will all enjoy. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think, please!


	5. Chapter 5

##  **Chapter 5**

When Anna made her way into the house, she wasn’t sure if she was more terrified or relieved. Al had managed to grab Ed before he was able to lay into the Sewing-Life Alchemist, but the man was standing against the far wall with a crying Nina in his arms. He was smiling a sickeningly sweet smile at the two boys and completely ignoring the woman that still had her gun trained on him.

Shou’s voice was soft as he spoke. “You know as well as I do that what I did was the only way to advance. I had to do it to try and find a breakthrough.”

Ed snarled and tried to break out of Al’s grip. “No! What you did was monstrous. You are sick!” When he couldn’t crack his brother’s grip, he growled up. “Let me go!”

Riza cut across them both. “Mr. Tucker, I have heard enough to know that we will need to investigate further, but I promise no one is going to harm you. You need to let the girl go and surrender before this gets out of hand.”

Shou finally looked over at her and laughed bitterly. “No, I don’t think so. I will not surrender just so you can take away my daughter and our home.”

Nina started crying harder at that point. “Why, daddy? Why would they take you away? I don’t want you to leave.”

He patted Nina’s head and gave her a smile. “I won’t let them; don’t worry.” He then turned to face Riza. “You are going to let us leave. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt, now would we?”

Ed growled at Shou’s thinly veiled threat, and Riza took a step to the side to block the man when he tried to walk off. Anna noticed a flash of aggravation enter his eyes as he backed up again. She could tell this was getting nowhere fast, and with Ed thinking with his temper, it wouldn’t change either. At least not for the better. She swallowed once before she stepped forward and held up her hands.

“Look, why don’t we all calm down. I’m sure we can make sense of this if we talk it out.”

Several sets of eyes turned her way, and most of them held derision or aggravation. Shou still managed to hold onto his fake smile. “I’m not sure who you are, but the only thing I want is to get my daughter out of here. I’m not the one yelling.”

Ed made a frustrated sound again, and Anna didn’t blame him. She doubted her next request would be met with any more success than the last one, but she still had to try. “Okay, why don’t you let Nina come with me then? I can take her and Alexander outside while you four talk.”

The man across from her laughed before he sneered. “I think not. We leave together.”

The whole situation was a disaster waiting to happen if something didn’t change. When Ed made another threat, Anna had a desperate idea come to mind. She only hoped she was good enough to pull it off. She turned and made sure she got both brothers’ attention. She then put her palms together, and Ed’s eyebrows rose as he focused on her intently. She was glad for small favors, at least.

“Okay, we all need to calm _down_ before innocent people get caught _up_ in something they would be defenseless against.” Her eyes had flicked down to her own hands when she said down and then back at Ed’s when she said up. She hoped like hell that would be enough for the boy to get what she was trying to say. He was genius enough that if he didn’t, then it was probably her fault for using such a horrible diversionary tactic.

They both turned to Shou when he laughed derisively again. “Did you believe that was subtle?”

Anna turned to him with a frown. “Not everything is about you. Some people deserve to leave this room with as much of their innocence as they can.”

He glared back at her as he realized she was talking about the girl he was currently using as a shield. She knew they didn’t have time to wait since he was already expecting an attack. She just hoped he wouldn’t realize where it was coming from until it was too late.

She looked over at Ed and nodded. As soon as she did, Al let him go, and Anna dropped to the floor. Her palms had already created the circle, so she placed them both on the floor and concentrated. She couldn’t afford for this not to work. She heard both Ed and Shou shout above her, but ignored them as she focused her energy into the wall behind the man. She was more than relieved when she saw the wood warp out and around their target’s legs.

As soon as the impromptu cuffs were finished, she looked up to see that Ed had been able to both morph a giant fist that grabbed Tucker as well as a palm that had caught Nina before she could fall. The girl was bawling, but Riza had already made her way over as soon as Shou was restrained.

Alexander came out barking when Riza tried to lift the girl, and she started crying harder. Anna wasn’t sure where she could help the most, but she didn’t get to try at all. The room was a cacophony of sound and movement that only became worse when two more people rushed in. One of them instantly moved to help Riza, the other froze at the sight that waited for him. Roy then turned to Ed with a frown.

“What is the meaning of this Fullmetal?”

Ed huffed and rolled his eyes. “Way to show up late, as usual. Had you gotten here sooner, you would have heard Tucker confess to using his wife as part of his first successful chimera.”

Both Anna and Riza shot the boy a glare. Anna stepped closer and lowered her voice. “Do you think you could not traumatize Nina any more than she already is, please?”

They were all shocked from their conversation when a tiny body ran between them and started clinging to Al’s leg. He looked down in surprise before he looked back up. His voice held slight panic. “What? Why me?”

Riza stood and looked at them all with a frown. She kept her voice calm as she spoke. “I imagine you are the closest to a person she can trust right now. You didn’t yell or threaten anyone.” She paused and looked back at Shou. He was still trying to get out of the fist that restrained him but was not having any luck. She then looked back at Al. “Do you think you can take her upstairs and help her calm down?”

Al had already reached down to pat Nina’s head, but he finally sighed and nodded. At that point, he knelt so he could be on Nina’s level. As soon as he did, the little girl threw herself into his arms. He stood with another sigh as he spoke quietly to her to try and ease her mind.

Once the two of them were up the stairs, Roy turned to face his subordinates with a frown. “So, will someone please explain why I just had to respond to a call stating two of my alchemists were trying to kill each other?”

Ed growled at the reminder and pointed to where Shou was still restrained. The other alchemist had given up on trying to get out, but it was only when he stilled that Anna realized there was an even smaller hand that was covering the man’s mouth. Part of her wanted to laugh at Ed’s imagination, but she knew now was not the time.

Her attention was drawn back when Ed spoke. “That asshole used his wife to transfigure the chimera that got him the State License. It wouldn’t surprise me if he was thinking about using his daughter if he couldn’t get another break before he had to retest in two days.”

Roy looked disbelieving but slightly disgusted. Riza shook her head when she added her own testimony. “I do not know how Fullmetal figured it out, but when I came in, I heard Shou confess. He did not seem to feel he had done anything wrong.”

Roy cursed under his breath before he looked around. He motioned to two men that were still standing outside, and they came in. He then looked at Ed. “Release him.”

Ed didn’t look happy with the command, but that could have just been because it was Roy giving it. It only took him a moment to undo both what he had done as well as what Anna had as well. Once the man was free, the two soldiers had him cuffed almost immediately. Roy then pointed to the stairs. “Take him to his room and post a guard. He will be listed as under house arrest until we figure this out.”

Ed glared back as the two walked off with a shouting Tucker between them. The boy stalked to his commanding officer and tried to get in his face. “What do you mean ‘when we figure this out?’ He confessed.”

Roy pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He then pinned the boy with a glare of his own. “How did you know? I was told your cousin showed up with visible worry, and then all of a sudden, you pushed her aside so you can get to Shou?”

His eyes had flicked over to where Anna was standing, and she felt the weight of his suspicion even at that distance. She wouldn’t be surprised if he had already figured out she had something to do with it. Especially since she had practically thrown a fit to get to the boys when she found out they were working with Shou Tucker.

She wasn’t given long to worry about it as Ed waved off the question with nonchalance. “Meh, she’s heard stuff about what we’re researching. When she found out we were with another alchemist, she freaked out. It was just something she said that made it click, and I had to confront the jackass.”

Anna tried not to look too relieved that Ed was quick on his feet. Although, part of her wondered at how good a liar he was. It wasn’t until her relief passed that she grasped the rest of what he said. By the time both males turned back to her, she was glaring at her ‘cousin.’

“Well, I was only worried about your foul-mouthed ass. Forgive me for being concerned.”

Ed gave her a wide-eyed look that was nearly matched by Roy’s. Riza caught their attention when she tried to cover up a laugh with a cough. Anna turned to see the woman flash her a smile behind her hand before she then turned to the Colonel. “Sir, if I might?” When Roy nodded with a sigh, Riza continued. “With Shou being on house arrest and Al taking care of Nina, it might be best for both Ed and Anna to stay as well. I doubt Ed would want to go far without his brother, and Al might need help once the girl is calmer. I doubt he knows a lot about babysitting.”

Roy nodded. “We’ll have to figure out where to take her, but that won’t be decided tonight.” He then turned to the other two. “I’ll send another guard for Tucker. Fullmetal, don’t even think about trying to confront him. Let the system handle it.”

Ed looked like he was about to argue, but Anna stepped in. “Nina is going to have a hard enough time as it is. The last thing we need is to freak her out more by letting her hear fighting again.”

The boy seemed to deflate a little as he thought about Nina. Finally, he huffed and turned to the stairs. “I’m going to see if Al needs help.”

Roy called out a last warning as the boy started up the steps. “Don’t push it if she doesn’t want to see you.”

Ed’s voice was fading as he called back over his shoulder. “Yeah, yeah.”

Roy shook his head with a sigh as the boy disappeared. He then turned to Anna with a frown. “Miss Stephenson, I believe we might need to have a chat.” He paused at that point and looked to Riza. “Lieutenant, would you please make arrangements to have Havoc sent here.”

Riza saluted and walked out to follow orders. She only paused long enough to give him a look that Anna couldn’t see. That didn’t make her feel better when he turned back to her and gestured to one of the unoccupied seats. She took it with a little trepidation as he joined her.

He gave her a charming smile as he sat, which caused her to sit back stiffly. He raised a brow at the obvious action, but his voice didn’t betray anything he was thinking. “Please relax. I am sure that the last couple of days aren’t the best example of life in Amestris, but I assure you things aren’t always this crazy.”

Anna chuckled at his empty reassurances and tried not to roll her eyes. “Look, I am upset by what happened here, but not because I see it as representative actions of this country. Ed was involved. That is enough to know things aren’t likely to go smoothly.”

Roy had to take a moment to not laugh out loud. Their first meeting notwithstanding, the pretty Miss Stephenson was already proving to be just as bullheaded and outspoken as her cousin. Whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen. He cleared his throat and tried to put on a slightly sterner look. “Speaking of Fullmetal, what exactly did you need to speak to him about that was so worrisome?”

Anna forced her breathing to stay calm as she tried to think about how to build on what Ed said and not give away too much. She gritted her teeth and tried not to sound as nervous as she felt. “I don’t know any details, but I have been told they are researching something that could be potentially life-threatening and that it has something to do with alchemy. When I heard they were with another alchemist, I suppose I overreacted.”

Roy narrowed his eyes slightly. “They are both talented alchemists in their own right. Edward is even a state alchemist. They can take care of themselves.”

Anna narrowed her eyes at his assessment. “Yes, but they are still boys. Fourteen and fifteen years old. You can’t tell me that doesn’t at least cross your mind.”

Roy held up one hand. “Please, I understand. We do keep an eye on them, as well. I suppose I should just be glad that they have family that cares, as well. That is one thing they lacked.”

Anna shook her head and sighed before she gave him a wry smile. “They have the Rockbells. That family is closer to them than I am. I’m practically a stranger.”

The Colonel looked as though he had something else to add, but shook his head and changed the subject. “All that aside, you seem to be handling this well. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this can’t be easy for you.”

She knew it would probably seem strange to him, but she couldn’t hold in a laugh. When he gave her a questioning look, she shook her head, and her smile turned a little sad. “That would be because of my mother. Or rather, how I was raised. Since she was a renowned archeologist, we didn’t spend much time in the place that was supposed to be our home. We traveled all over following whatever she wanted to research next. She took care of my schooling herself, but she also taught me how to handle unknown situations.”

She paused as her memories tried to overwhelm her. She managed to push them back with a sigh. “Since it was just the two of us so often, I had to learn not to let my fear rule my mind. My mother had a saying she would use whenever I felt scared. It came from one of her favorite stories, but it worked.”

Roy gave her a patronizing smile. “If you handle things this well, then I suppose it must have. Do you mind sharing?”

She wondered briefly what kind of saying he thought it was with the look he was giving her. Probably something juvenile. She was happy to disabuse him of the notion. Her grin widened slightly. “Sure. It was ‘I will not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will let it pass over me and through me, and when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain.’”

There was complete silence for several seconds before Roy finally blinked a couple of times and gave her a curious look. “And how old were you when she had you learn this?”

Anna chuckled slightly at the memories his question evoked before she raised a brow. “As soon as I was old enough to say all the words and understand them. So at about four or five.”

His eyes widened slightly before he stood. He held out his hand for her to shake when she joined him. “Well, that is certainly a fascinating saying. I can see how that would help you cope. Perhaps sometime you can tell me more about it.” He paused and looked out the doorway to see if Riza was back. When she was still not in sight, he turned back with a charming smile. “I suppose I will see you again tomorrow. Please feel free to let Havoc know if there is anything you need once he arrives.”

Anna swallowed a sigh and shook his hand. “Will do. Thanks.”

Despite her not losing her head, the whole situation was nearly overwhelming. It was taking all she had to keep her head straight enough to think through things. It would have helped if they hadn’t immediately gone to shit, but it wasn’t like she ever had a say before. 

She watched both Roy and Riza leave before she turned to head up the stairs as well. She figured it was a good sign that they hadn’t heard any yelling yet. Maybe Nina was calmer, or at least Ed wasn’t losing it. She only hoped that they figured out a way to make sure this outcome didn’t end up worse than the possible one had been. At least Nina wasn’t alone for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost feel like we jumped head-first into the deep end lol. At least things aren't boring (hopefully you feel the same). The next chapter will be about the same, so I hope you all enjoy! Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

##  _**Chapter 6** _

It was only a short while after Mustang left that Second Lieutenant Havoc showed up. Anna had tried to speak with the boys and Nina, but not even Ed had been in the room. He had been waiting in the hall with the guard that was in front of Shou’s room. That was where Havoc found them all when he came in.

When he made his way upstairs, he called out a greeting to Ed that was returned in kind, but the tall blonde stopped dead in his tracks when Anna turned to him and held out her hand. She only held it there for a moment before she pulled it back awkwardly as Ed started chuckling behind her. She shot him a glare but turned back around when the man finally spoke.

“Uh, I was told that the boys had a cousin that would be staying here too. Is that you?”

She tried not to laugh at the look he gave her as she held out her hand again. “Yes, that would be me. I’m Anna Stephenson. Nice to me you, Havoc, right?”

He grinned when he took her hand finally. “Yeah, Jean Havoc. I’ll be here to take care of things until we get this sorted out, so if you need anything, just holler.”

Her smile brightened at his enthusiasm, which in turn made him step back and scratch the back of his head before he changed his focus. His expression dimmed a little when he looked to the soldier that was guarding the door. “You can head downstairs. Four more guys have taken up positions outside, so you can head out. We’ll cover the inside.” The soldier saluted before he headed back down the stairs.

As he was headed down, Al finally came out of the bedroom at the far end of the hallway and quietly closed the door behind himself. When Havoc started to call out a greeting, the boy turned and held a finger up to indicate silence. He waited until he was next to them before he spoke. “She finally fell asleep, but she was still pretty upset. Do we know what is going to happen yet?”

Jean sighed and shook his head. “The only thing I was told was to keep Shou locked up and to make sure the rest of you were kept safe. I’m pretty sure the Colonel is looking for a place for her to stay, but she may end up going to an orphanage.”

Ed cursed at that news until Al whispered a reprimand. “Brother, she’s sleeping.” That didn’t stop him from grumbling, but it did make him lower the volume.

Anna was watching the whole thing with a pit in her stomach. She had been afraid this would be the outcome, but she had to believe it was still going to be better than the alternative. Anything would be better than what that little girl could have been subjected to.

She was pulled out of her reverie when Jean waved himself off and headed back down. The brothers must have realized something was off as they immediately turned to her as soon as Havoc was gone. Ed’s voice was low but still insistent. “So spill it. I doubt the Colonel got to you, so what the hell has you twisted?”

She rolled her eyes at his vulgarity before she spoke. “You know, I think you have spent way too much time around men that have way too little filter.”

“Tch. Who cares. Now answer the damn question.” Ed took a step closer and practically glared at her.

Al looked like he was going to intervene again, but Anna just pointed to the bedroom the younger brother had just exited. “I’m just worried about her. I know what could have happened, and I know this has to be better than what that alternative would have been, but this is still going to traumatize her for years. No matter what choice we make, there is no easy answer, no simple fix. I have a feeling that most of the answers are going to be like this.”

Ed took a step back and looked like he wasn’t quite sure what to say at first. Anna shook her head at his expression and grimaced before he could say something snarky. “Please don’t give me something about equivalent exchange right now. In this case, I don’t buy it. The whole point of us taking action was to keep something horrid from happening, not to make something equally horrid manifest.” She looked away as she continued. “Maybe I am idealistic, but I would like to hope there is a point in taking action.”

It was several moments before Ed finally spoke in a low voice. “All we can do is keep moving. Keep taking it a day at a time and doing what we believe is right. If we give up, then everything becomes pointless. The best thing we can do for Nina is to show her how to be strong and keep moving on. You can’t tell me that you don’t understand. You are standing here without tears, without breaking down, without thought of your own loss, and it has only been a couple of days.”

Anna’s head jerked up and her one eye opened in shock. After a moment, it narrowed in determination, and she nodded. “It isn’t that I don’t think of it, but there are more important things. I guess I just needed to hear that there was meaning in it from someone else too.”

Al put his hand on her shoulder as he tried to reassure her as well. “Brother and I have something that we are focused on, something that we are working toward, and that gives us the strength to keep going. I don’t know you well yet, but something tells me you wouldn’t have come to us today if you didn’t have something driving you too. I can’t say that this will be easy for Nina, but she is young, and despite what Ed says, we both know that Colonel Mustang will do his best to make sure she is taken care of.”

Anna gave him a smile. “I’m sure you’re right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you worry.”

Ed rolled his eyes at her and mumbled something she couldn’t hear before he turned and headed back downstairs. Al looked back and forth between them before he ran after his brother. Anna chuckled at their antics. She only paused a moment and looked back at the girl’s room once more before she followed them down.

* * *

Later that evening, Anna had agreed to take some food up to see if Nina would eat. Al had been up several times, but the girl wouldn’t leave the bed. It wasn’t that she thought the girl would trust her more, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

When she opened the door, and Nina saw who it was, she covered her head up with the blanket. Anna swallowed a sigh as she set the tray down next to the bed and sat in a chair. She was clueless about taking care of children. Still, she tried to channel what her mother used to do for her when she felt upset and particularly stubborn. With that in mind, she sat back and crossed her legs before she started speaking in a conversational tone.

“I know we didn’t have much of a chance to get to know each other earlier, and you probably don’t feel much like it now, but we might be stuck here together for a little while. If that’s the case, I thought it might be nice for you to know a little bit about me.”

Nina’s only response was to pull the blanket tighter around herself. Anna wasn’t shocked by it at all, so she just kept going. She told the girl several stories about how she grew up with a scientist as a mother and how they traveled all the time. How her mother spent most of her time researching, which in turn led to Anna’s own love of research and ancient history.

By the time she got past the basics of her childhood, the girl had finally uncovered her head and sat up. Anna finished her current story before Nina finally spoke up slowly. “You grew up like me.”

Anna gave her a soft smile. Nina sniffled a little bit at the sight of it, but she still managed to keep speaking. “Where is your mommy now?”

It was several moments before Anna could bring herself to answer. “She has been gone for almost a year. She was very sick.”

At that, the girl crawled to the edge of her bed and gave Anna a sad look. “What about your daddy?”

Anna gave her a wry smile. “I never knew him. It was just my mother and me.”

Nina sat there for several seconds before she finally spoke again. “When can I see my daddy again?”

“Oh, sweetie.” Anna got down on her knees and took the girl into her arms. She was glad that she was allowed to comfort her a little, at least. “I don’t know, but I promise that no matter what happens, you have people that care about you and want to make sure you are happy.”

The girl started crying again, and Anna let it go on until she cried herself out. When it slowed to sniffles once more, she pulled back and grabbed a napkin off the tray to help Nina clean her face before she tried to give her a smile. “I know it’s hard, but if I promise to read you a story, will you eat something?”

Nina sat back with a sniff and looked around the room before she answered. “Any story I want?”

Anna gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. “Any story you want.”

At her confirmation, Nina jumped off the bed and walked to a small bookshelf where she pulled a thin book out. When she walked back, she handed it to Anna. “This one. Daddy used to read it to me before he got too busy.”

Anna felt her heart break a little at that point, but she took it anyway. “Okay. Let’s get you fed, and then I’ll tuck you in and read it for you.”

A surprisingly short time afterward, the girl had the meal finished and was back under the covers. This time she was not huddled under them, but instead was watching Anna as she read from the tiny book. By the time the last words were read, the girl’s eyes had started to flutter closed.

Anna stayed long enough to make sure the girl was asleep before setting the book to the side and lifted the tray to take it with her. She did her best to stay as silent as possible when she closed the door. However, all thoughts of silence fled when she turned and came face to face with a man coming from another room down the hall. Her voice came out low but full of shock. “You!”

The man froze when he saw her, and his eyes narrowed before they widened. “You are the woman that was in the alley. Why are you here?”

Anna suddenly realized what must have just happened, and she felt ice race down her spine. She knew she should be afraid, but her heart was shredding for the little girl that had just wanted to see her daddy once more. She took a step forward and tried to keep her voice low. “I know what you just did. I understand why, but your revenge will not accomplish anything except perpetuating an endless cycle of violence. Someone has to be the one to say enough!”

His eyes flashed, and he took a threatening step toward her. His voice lowered. “Who are you, and why are you here?”

“Who I am doesn’t matter. It was only by circumstance that I am here even, but you, you are here for murder.” She paused and took a deep breath. She knew he was not irredeemable, despite how livid she was on Nina’s behalf. She tried to push her anger aside. “I understand your resentment, but this is wrong.”

At her last words, the man finally lunged toward her. Anna realized at that moment that her mouth may have gotten her into more trouble than she could get herself out of. She threw the tray at his face and managed to distract him long enough to duck back, but she knew it would not keep him long.

She immediately screamed, hoping that one of the males downstairs would hear before she slammed her palms together and then to the closest wall. It wasn’t that she didn’t know the scar-faced man in front of her couldn’t destroy any barrier she made with ease, but hopefully, it would buy her time.

Unfortunately, it also gave him something else to want to kill her for. As soon as the barrier went up, she heard his growling voice. “You are an alchemist!”

“Not for the state!”

“It matters not! All who use alchemy are blasphemers.”

“Like you? That’s alchemy, too, you know!”

By that time, the flimsy barrier she had erected was demolished, and Anna was backed into a corner. She cursed her big mouth and hoped like hell someone was coming because she couldn’t fight to save her life, literally, in this case.

Both she and the man stalking toward her were shocked when the door behind her opened. Her heart came up in her throat when she heard the little voice behind her. “What’s goin’ on?”

Anna couldn’t take her eyes off the man, but she dropped to her knees and tried to push Nina back. “Nina, honey, lock your door. You can’t come out!”

The girl started crying almost immediately, but Anna knew that taking her into the room herself wouldn’t solve anything. She had to keep him away from the girl. As much as she hated doing it, she turned away from him long enough to push Nina back gently so she could slam the door. She then put her back against it and slapped her palms together once more before placing them on the floor next to the door. The action caused the door to seal shut. At least she hoped that would be enough to keep Nina safe until help arrived.

When she looked up at the man, he had stopped a few feet away. He was giving her an odd look that she couldn’t quite understand. It wasn’t allowed to go on for long. A bullet passed close by his head, and he was forced to duck. It was quickly followed by the sound of several male voices, including those of Ed and Al.

He gave her one last unreadable look before he ran down the hall and into one of the other rooms. Havoc, Ed, and one of the other soldiers chased him as he presumably tried to get away. Al had stopped to check on Anna. Her heart was still trying to beat out of her chest as he helped her to her feet. They turned when they heard Nina crying in the room.

Anna felt nearly panicked as she instantly moved to undo the seal she had placed on the door. As soon as it was open, she grabbed the girl up into a hug and tried to reassure her it was safe again.

In the end, she had to lay down with Nina before the girl would calm down, and Al had to sit with them both before Nina finally fell asleep again. By that time, everyone had returned, though Ed was in a foul mood. The scar-faced man had gotten away.

When they all assembled downstairs, Anna was shocked to see a rumpled Roy Mustang with them as well. He looked up as she entered the room and gave her a strained smile. “You know, you and I are going to have to stop meeting like this.”

All of the tension from the night suddenly seemed to leave Anna in a rush. She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she couldn’t help herself. She sat down in the chair next to him and laughed for several seconds before she was finally able to settle enough to speak. When she was calm, the first thing she did was look over to Ed and Havoc. “Thank you both. You saved my ass.”

Ed rolled his eyes, but Havoc grinned at her. It was Roy that spoke. “What the hell happened anyway? We found Shou’s body.”

Anna had known they would, even though she hadn’t seen it herself. She rubbed her temples before she managed to answer. “That was the same man I saw in the alley the other night. I had just managed to get Nina to sleep and was leaving her room when he was leaving Shou’s. I guess he recognized me, and I realized what must have happened. I was so upset for Nina that I- well, I said some things I probably shouldn’t have. I made matters worse when he attacked me, and I defended myself with alchemy. He told me I was a blasphemer and told me I had to die.”

Roy cursed under his breath at that news. It wasn’t shocking, as he probably had a good idea what it meant. Anna knew he had been a prominent figure in the Ishvalan war. She wasn’t done yet, so she tried to ignore it and kept going.

“It was at about that time that Nina came out of the room. I couldn’t let him hurt her, so I pushed her back into her room and sealed the door. I thought I was dead at that point, honestly. I am not really a fighter, but thankfully, the guys must have heard me scream. Plus-“ She cut herself off because she wasn’t sure how to explain the man’s last actions. Or rather, lack of actions.

Roy leaned forward to get her attention again. “Plus, what?”

Anna shook her head. “I’m not really sure. He stopped attacking when I sealed Nina in the room. I don’t know why.”

Roy sat back with a sigh and ran his hand down his face. “It’s late. Why don’t you try and get some sleep? I doubt he’ll be back tonight, and we have posted an extra guard. Tomorrow I’ll have Havoc bring you all to headquarters. By then, I should have something figured out for Nina as well.”

Anna wasn’t thrilled with the idea of sleeping in that house for several reasons now, but she also didn’t want to leave the little girl upstairs. She finally gave him a nod and a smirk. “Hopefully, this time, it really is goodnight.”

He stood with a chuckle and returned her smirk with one of his own. “Until tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had hoped to at least kind of follow canon a little, but I can already see that things are going to veer off more than expected. That doesn't mean canon events won't be sprinkled in here and there, but I'm sure you can already see what I mean lol. Anywho, I hope you all enjoy anyway!


	7. Chapter 7

##  _**Chapter 7** _

The next morning found the two Elrics, Nina, Anna, and Jean, crammed uncomfortably into a car and on their way to Eastern Headquarters. Or at least that was what they all believed. It wasn’t until Ed looked out the window and realized they were headed in the wrong direction for that. He called out from the back seat with irritation. “Hey, Havoc, what the hell? I thought you were taking us to see Colonel Bastard.”

Jean let out a sigh as he glanced at Anna in the passenger seat before looking in the rearview mirror. “We are. He gave me an address where he wants us to meet him.”

Ed huffed but didn’t say anything as he crossed his arms and looked back out the window. The rest of the ride was silent, other than Nina asking questions as they passed through the city.

It was nearly a half-hour later before they pulled up to a large house surrounded by a wall with a gate. It almost looked imposing until they pulled into the drive and saw a group of children of various ages chasing an oddly familiar shaggy white dog. Nina practically jumped into Al’s arms when she heard the dog bark. They were all glad to see the girl smile as she pointed out the window. “Alexander!”

Jean looked into the rearview mirror and chuckled. “Yeah, the Colonel had someone come get him this morning. I guess he wouldn’t have really fit into the car with us.”

As soon as the car stopped, Nina was out and ran to where the other children were playing. All the adults chuckled when Alexander got to her before her tiny legs could reach the rest of them. Nina was nearly knocked off her feet as the dog started licking her cheek. It wasn’t until the rest of the children gathered around with curiosity that Nina finally looked up at them with wide eyes.

The oldest looking girl stepped forward with a smile and dropped to her knees next to the two of them. “We were told that this guy had a friend that would be joining us today. Is that you?”

Nina looked slightly confused, but they were all interrupted when a woman walked over with Colonel Mustang. Havoc jumped to attention, but Ed ignored him as the woman started talking. “That’s right, Heather. Nina will be staying with us for a while.”

Nina frowned at her words, but Al knelt down to reassure her as Anna looked over to Roy. He shot her a grin before he spoke up. “This place has taken in several children that have been displaced over the last few years. I heard about it through someone I know and felt it would be the best fit.”

They all turned to Nina when she started crying. “But what about my Daddy? Can I not stay with him?”

The girl, Heather, wrapped her arms around Nina as she tried to help her. “I don’t know about your daddy, but I can tell you all of us have parents we miss. But we have each other now too. It may not be the same, but I am sure you can find a place with us.”

Anna was glad to see the children at least seemed to be well adjusted. She wasn’t ignorant of how looks can be deceiving, but the older girl looked like she was ready to cry as well. Hopefully, this would be just what Nina needed.

Even with that hope in mind, she was not surprised when Nina ran out of the girl’s arms and over to Al. His head jerked up, and he looked at Ed first and then Anna before he knelt and awkwardly tried to soothe the crying child.

Anna took pity on him and walked over to kneel beside them both. She rubbed soothing circles on Nina’s back while she spoke. “Nina, honey, I can’t tell you how things will go from here, but I can already see that these people understand how you feel. It might be hard at first, but I bet you can find people here that would love to get to know you and help you.” She paused and looked up at the woman that was with Roy before she continued. “I bet, if you ask nicely, someone would be willing to read to you too. And don’t forget that you have Alexander here with you.”

Anna had expected the older woman to say something, but she was shocked when Heather jumped forward. “I would love to read to you! We have a whole library here, and I’m sure it won’t be long until you can read to me too.”

Nina sniffled a little as she turned to face Anna and Heather. She looked like she wasn’t sure what to think, but before anything else could be said, Alexander pushed his way into the middle of the group and started licking Nina’s face. Despite her sorrow, she giggled as she threw her arms around his neck. A few moments later, she looked over at Heather. “What kind of books do you have?”

Heather looked up at the matron. When the woman gave her a quick nod, the girl held out her hand with a smile. “Why don’t I show you? Then we can look at the rooms. All of us girls share one, so you won’t ever be alone!”

Nina took her hand but paused as she looked back at the rest of them. She dropped the hand and ran back to give both Al and Anna a quick hug before she ran back and took the girl’s hand again. Anna gave her a soft smile as she watched them both walk into what she could now tell was an old mansion converted into an orphanage.

When the two of them were gone, the other children immediately started to chase Alexander around while the rest turned to Roy and the woman. With their attention back on her, the matron held out her hand to the rest of them. “Hello, my name is Heather Martin. Welcome to my home.”

Anna raised a brow. “Heather?”

The older woman chuckled as she nodded. “Yes, my granddaughter was named after me. She was the first I welcomed to my home after her parents were killed in the Ishvalan war. Obviously, she was not the last. I am sure Nina will find her place here before long.”

After that, the adults spoke for a little longer about the house and what options were available to the children. The brothers were both glad to hear that Nina would be well cared for. They both made a point of going to find the girl with Anna before they left. They all promised they would be back to visit whenever they could.

When they made their way back outside, they found the matron herding the rest of the children inside to clean up for lunch while Mustang talked to Havoc by the cars. The two of them parted when the three others joined them. Roy then turned a smirk to Anna before he looked at the two boys. Before he could say anything, Ed spoke up.

“We are going to go take a walk. You can contact me if you need anything.”

Roy’s smirk faltered as he realized they both needed the time to process everything. They both understood what it was like to be an orphan. He then nodded at them. “Understood. Why don’t you let Havoc take you back into the city, at least? I’ll send your new orders as soon as I deal with this debacle.”

Ed’s only response was to turn to the car with a wave over his shoulder. Anna looked after them for a moment and almost headed to follow before she was stopped by Roy calling out to her. “Wait a moment.”

She turned back to him with a question on her lips. Before she could ask it, Jean stepped forward with his hand out and a grin. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I hope we can talk again.”

Anna’s smile was warm when she shook the hand he held out. “I hope so too. Thank you for everything.”

He stepped back and scratched the back of his head. It looked like he was about to say something else, but he caught sight of Mustang’s frown and swallowed it. He waved as he turned around and left to take the Elrics back into the city. Al called out a goodbye for both of them as they drove off.

Once they were gone, Anna turned back to Roy. “What did you need to talk to me about?”

His smirk was firmly back in place as he gestured to the other car. “Why don’t you come back with me to headquarters, and we can talk on the way.”

Anna felt her worry about the situation come back tenfold at his suggestion. Still, she had to admit that there wasn’t really a better option. She answered by going to the far side and opening the door. Mustang’s eyes flashed for just a moment before he slid in behind the wheel.

It wasn’t until they had been on the road for a few minutes before he finally spoke. “Now that we have Nina relocated, I felt it would be a good time to try and figure out what we should do with you.”

Anna’s eyes narrowed. “Do with me?”

Roy must have heard something in her voice since he chanced a glance in her direction. When he saw her frowning at him, he chuckled before he turned back to face the road. “I apologize. I didn’t mean for that to sound so ominous. We have already figured out that it would be best for you to stay somewhere close by while we try to apprehend whoever brought you here. We need to figure out the best way to do that and keep you safe. Until we know more, we have to assume there is the possibility that they could attack again.”

He then turned back to her for a second again as his brows drew down. “Plus, you are the only witness we have to two separate murders. I don’t want to see anything happen to you.”

Anna sighed and leaned her head back against the headrest. He was right, but that didn’t make her feel better. She remembered enough about Scar to know that he wasn’t one to be stopped easily. She hadn’t realized she hadn’t said anything yet until Roy spoke up once more. “It’ll be alright. I give you my word that I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Anna sat up and looked over to him with a smirk. Despite her worries, the look he gave her had her feeling better. “Well, I suppose I should be glad for your thoughtfulness then.”

He quirked a brow at the sarcasm in her tone but grinned back anyway. “I’m sure there will be some way you can make it up to me later.”

Anna burst into laughter at the obvious suggestion in his words. She knew he was a ladies' man and still found him charming. At least she knew better than to take him too seriously.

He didn’t say anything until her laughter finally died down. He also pointedly ignored her response. “Actually, I was hoping I might have the opportunity to see your alchemy. You said you were not much of a fighter, yet you were able to transmute the wall fast enough to at least give yourself a fighting chance. That isn’t something most people can do.”

Anna had to fight not to grimace. She hadn’t thought about that while she had done it but couldn’t regret her actions. At least they had saved her life. She was frowning when she finally answered. “I still don’t think it’s much to brag about, but I don’t see a problem with it either. Just be prepared for disappointment. It isn’t that impressive.”

He chuckled at her response, but by that time, they had already arrived. He pulled into a parking spot and gestured for her to follow him into the building. She hurried after him as it had started to sprinkle. When they got inside, he first had her follow him to his office, where he grabbed Lieutenant Hawkeye.

When Riza saw Anna was with the Colonel, she smiled and held out her hand. “Good to see you again. I hope the last couple of days haven’t made you hate Amestris. It isn’t all this bad.”

Anna chuckled. “Not at all. I can’t hold everyone accountable for the actions of a few.”

Riza smiled at her answer, but Roy picked that time to interrupt. “Lieutenant, Miss Stephenson, and I were about to go test her alchemical skills. Would you come with us? There is also something I need to speak with you about.”

Riza saluted him before she gestured to the door. “After you.”

Roy opened the door for them both, and Anna followed the other two out to a walled courtyard with a dirt floor. She was looking around with curiosity when Riza spoke up. “Colonel, I hope you had not planned on using a spar to evaluate her skills.”

Both Anna and Roy turned to Riza with confused looks. Though Anna’s was partially anxious. She hoped that wasn’t the case too. She didn’t get to ask before Roy spoke up. “I had not planned on taking the offensive, but depending on what I see, it could happen.”

Riza smirked at him and looked up at the saturated sky. “Pardon my reminder, but it is raining.”

Roy frowned, and Anna had to clamp her jaws shut to keep from laughing. She had forgotten about that issue for the Colonel. Hard on the heels of that thought, she had another one. She wasn’t sure if she could pull it off, but she was too amused not to try. She quickly clapped her hands together, garnering the attention of the other two. She ignored them as she then knelt and put both hands on the ground. She was gratified when only a moment later, something started forming from the stone beneath her.

When it was finally all the way out, Anna grinned and lifted the domed object. It was a little misshapen, but it was clear that it was supposed to be an umbrella. A heavy stone one, but still. She grinned as she handed it over to the Colonel. “Here, it isn’t the prettiest, but surely if you decide to use your alchemy, this would help.”

Anna had to fight not to laugh at Roy’s expression as he took the umbrella from her with wide eyes. Her attention was drawn by a noise. She turned to see Riza trying to hide a grin behind her hand as she faked a cough. Anna gave her a smirk but didn’t get to say anything. Her attention was drawn back to a frowning Roy as he looked at the item he had been handed.

“That was an impressive show of skill. I think I have only seen that style with one other person.” He lowered the umbrella and gave her an unreadable look. “As far as I know, FullMetal is the only one that can use that technique. Where did you learn it?”

Anna’s heart stuttered under his sharp gaze, but she knew hesitation would spell trouble. She quickly spouted the first thing that came to mind. “I imagine it was the same way he did. I guess our families weren’t that different from each other after all.”

Roy’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t say anything further about it. Instead, he gestured back to the door inside. “I suppose I don’t need much more of a demonstration. We can possibly discuss your getting trained in self-defense as well, but for now, why don’t we figure out where you are going to stay.”

Anna had no doubt that he was not done with that line of questioning at all, but she was grateful that he wasn’t pushing for the moment. At least it allowed her to figure out a better reason before he came in full-force. Despite her worry, she still grinned as she watched him take the misshapen umbrella back inside with them. It took all she had not to laugh out loud as he continued to look at it as they made their way back to the offices.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about you all, but I already love their interactions. Even if actual romance is a loooong way away, it's still cute. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

##  _**Chapter 8** _

When they got back to the office, Roy ignored the few curious questions about the item in his hand. He placed the stone umbrella next to his chair and finally turned to face Anna and Riza. He turned to his lieutenant first. “You are free to decline, of course, but I hoped to ask if Miss Stephenson could stay with you until we have a better handle on what has happened to her. Not to mention, she will need a secure location as a prime witness.”

Riza didn’t answer him right away. Instead, she turned to Anna. “Miss Stephenson, would that be alright with you?”

Anna appreciated her concern, but it wasn’t like she had an alternative. She shrugged as she answered. “Thank you for asking, but honestly, I think it would be the best option as well. As long as you aren’t put out by it. You have already done more than necessary for me.”

Riza gave her a smile. “I would say everything has been necessary so far, so please do not let it worry you. I am used to living alone, but I don’t think that having a roommate for a short time will be a problem.”

Anna returned the smile. “In that case, I’d be happy to accept. Hopefully, we can figure something out before too long, and I won’t become a nuisance.”

Riza chuckled at the obvious sarcasm, but before she could respond, Mustang cut in. “Great. Now that those arrangements are settled, we need to discuss what Ms. Stephenson will do while you are out on assignment. It won’t do for her to be alone for the time being.”

Anna frowned. The last thing she needed was for any of his team to be all up in her business while she tried to figure everything out. Unfortunately, she wasn’t given a chance to object before Riza cut in. “Colonel, you did mention something about self-defense, correct? It might prove to be less hassle to have her come in when I do so that she could learn. Not that she would necessarily need to stay with me all day.”

Mustang held up a hand and cut her off. Though his words were far from derogatory. “That is an excellent suggestion. We may not be able to put her in training-“ He cut off at that point and looked at Anna with a grin. “Unless she decides to become a state alchemist.” He then proceeded to ignore her rolling eyes as he continued. “Even if that is not the case, I am sure we would have volunteers that would be willing to work with her in their downtime.”

Havoc was one of the men in the room, and he stepped forward with a grin. “I would be happy to help Colonel.”

Mustang shot him a dire look that had the man backing up, but he still nodded. “We cannot afford to have anyone down during your shifts, but I agree that it would be beneficial.” He didn’t wait for any further response before he gestured to the door. “Now that those arrangements are resolved, why don’t you both go and get settled in. I relieve you of your other duties for the day, Lieutenant.”

For a moment, Riza looked as though she wasn’t sure whether she should be upset with the order or just roll with it. In the end, she saluted before she turned to Anna. “I would be happy to show you to my apartment. Before that, though, I would be willing to see if we can help you find more to wear than one pair of pants and a shirt.”

Anna felt conflicted. She knew these people were already doing a lot for her and hated that Riza seemed to be taking the brunt of it. Still, the other woman’s smile was sincere, and she finally relented. “That would be great. Though I do ask that you not go overboard. I plan to pay you back eventually, and I don’t want to be in debt forever.” Riza chuckled at her teasing tone but waved off the rest as she led her out to run the listed errands.

* * *

They ended up taking several hours to find the things Anna needed. There was much more than she had considered yet, including toiletries and her own toothbrush. That last one was a big deal. They even found clothes more to her liking—comfortable and versatile while still being classy. They were all pants, though. She refused to wear skirts. All the clothes were dated from Anna’s point of view, but she knew beggars couldn’t be choosers. Plus, she had to remind herself that Amestris was approximately equivalent to places in Europe in the early twenty-first century. In the end, the bill was more than Anna had hoped for, but Riza assured her it would be fine.

There was a bit of an argument when Anna and Riza finally made it to the apartment. Anna was more than satisfied to take the small couch, but Riza insisted otherwise. In the end, Anna ended up relenting when the soldier pointed out that she could get called in at any time and did not want to disturb her guest more than necessary.

It turned out to be a moot point. That very night Riza received a call that woke them both up. Riza wore a grim expression when Anna came out to join her. Though she did explain without having to be asked. “That was Colonel Mustang. He wanted to verify you were safe.”

Anna frowned slightly. She could tell there was more going on. “While I appreciate his concern, why would he call out of the blue? What happened?”

Riza sighed and rubbed her temple. “There has been another state alchemist murdered. This time there were no witnesses, but it was the same injuries as the others. He wanted to ensure the perpetrator had not found where you are.”

Anna’s look turned just as grim at that news. She already knew that Scar was on a killing spree, but she had no idea how to stop him. Especially since he probably wanted her dead. Before she could get further lost in her thoughts about how to save lives, Riza spoke up again.

“Do not let this worry you. We have already asked for an investigator from Central to come. He should be here tomorrow. For now, please get some rest.”

Anna gave her a nod before she turned back to the bed. She was far from ready to go back to sleep, but there was no point in keeping her host up as well. She laid down and tried to ignore her whirling thoughts. It would do her no good to be groggy the next day. She was beginning to understand which reality she was in and what she might be facing, but now wasn’t the time to lose it.

* * *

The next day, both women were quiet as they got ready to leave. Instead of going to East Headquarters, Riza took them across town to the latest crime scene. Mustang had asked for them to meet him there.

When they arrived, Anna was thankful that the body had already been removed. She wasn’t sure she could have handled seeing that again and still keep it together. Her thoughts on the matter were cut off when a new face stood with a frown and turned to them as they walked up. However, the man’s frown disappeared as soon as he saw Riza. It was replaced with a grin. “Lieutenant! It’s good to see you. Roy tells me that he has you on a special assignment.”

Riza returned the greeting with a nod. “Lieutenant Colonel, it’s good to see you too. As for my assignment, please meet Ms. Anna Stephenson. I believe he asked me to bring her this morning to meet you. She has faced our suspect twice now and is our best witness.”

The man finally turned to face Anna. “Ah, yes, he did mention there was a witness. You are the Elrics’ cousin, right? It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Stephenson. I’m Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. We’ve been tracking this guy for weeks now, so any help you could provide would be appreciated.”

Anna took his outstretched hand with a smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lieutenant Colonel. I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.” She should have known the investigator would be Hughes, but she was still shocked to see him. It was particularly rough after the previous day and what had happened to Nina. His was another death that she would love to find a way to avoid, but she doubted that saying anything to him right now would do anything but cause problems. It was something she would have to think about. After making sure she wasn’t killed herself anyway.

She was pulled from her thoughts as he grinned at her with enthusiasm. “Please, you can call me Maes. There’s no need for all that formality, especially if you are related to Ed and Al.”

Before Anna could respond, another voice broke in. “That’s enough chit chat, Hughes. Why don’t you tell me what you’ve found out.”

They all turned when Colonel Mustang walked up. Maes’s frown was back as he looked down at the evidence he had been examining. “It looks like this is the work of the same guy I have been tracking in Central. He seems to be targeting State alchemists and killing them in gruesome ways. We don’t have much to go on other than the mess he leaves behind.” He then paused at looked at Anna. “At least not until now.”

Roy gave him a nod. “That was exactly why I asked Riza to bring her by this morning. Though, if you are done here, it might be best to return to headquarters. We can all sit and have a conversation.”

It was then that Anna noticed the people that had gathered around the edges of the crime scene. She frowned as she realized he had a point. It might be best to discuss everything away from prying eyes. She shivered when she thought about the fact that Scar could be in that crowd somewhere.

Maes must have noticed it as he lowered his voice and gave her a smile. “Don’t worry. I promise I’m much nicer than Roy here.” He then grinned as he pulled his wallet out of his pocket. “As a matter of fact, why don’t I show you my wonderful family!”

He then let the flap of the wallet drop and a fold-out with several pictures extended. “See, this is my adorable daughter Elicia and my beautiful wife, Gracia. Aren’t they perfect?”

As he started to point to one of the photos, Roy grabbed his collar and jerked. “Not now, Hughes. We have better things to worry about.”

Maes gave him a hurt look as he pointed to the photo once more. “But you have to see this one. Elicia tried to feed the birds for the first time. It was too cute watching her giggle and chase them around.”

Roy glared at his friend as he pulled again. He then looked over to Anna. “Feel free to ignore him.”

She shook her head with a smile but addressed Maes. “I’m sure both your daughter and wife feel blessed to have such a dedicated husband and father in their lives.”

At her reassurances, Maes's eyes got so wide, she could have sworn there were actual hearts in them. She had to bite back a laugh as Roy groaned. He pinned her with a glare as well, as Maes finally found his voice. “Oh, you are too kind.” He then looked back at Roy, who was still dragging him toward the car. “See, that is how you should respond to seeing my beautiful family.”

Roy grumbled something under his breath before he unceremoniously tossed Maes into the back seat of the car. He ignored the others as he slid behind the wheel. That didn’t stop Maes from poking his head out the window before they drove away. “Remind me later, and I’ll show you more pictures. You’ll love them.”

Anna chuckled as they drove off before she turned to Riza. “I guess we should be going as well.”

Riza was shaking her head at the retreating car, but gave her a nod. “I’m sure the Colonel will want to go over everything we can compile.” The reminder served to sober Anna somewhat. She nodded back as she followed the lieutenant to the car.

By the time they made it to headquarters, Maes was sufficiently sobered once again. The four of them were quiet as they walked into the large office that held Mustang’s desk. He was only thankful that most of the team was out on other errands at the moment. He would update them all, but for now, he felt it would be easier for their guest to speak freely if she weren’t surrounded by strangers.

Breda was the only one there, but he quickly excused himself at a look from his commanding officer. Once he was gone, Mustang gestured to the table. “Why don’t we all have a seat.”

Anna sat next to Riza, but Maes had noticed the item next to Roy’s desk before either of the men could. He walked over and picked it up with a raised brow. “Why do you have a stone umbrella in your office?”

Anna tried desperately to stifle a laugh as Roy frowned over at his friend. It came out despite her best efforts when he answered, “That was from a demonstration. Ms. Stephenson was showing me her skill in alchemy.”

Both of Maes’s eyebrows rose when he looked over at Anna. However, his shock quickly turned to a grin when he saw her trying not to laugh. It didn’t take much for him to figure out why. “I suppose even a stone umbrella can come in handy when you get stuck in the rain.”

Roy ignored their implied teasing as he took his seat. Though Maes wasn’t quite done yet. He sat next to his friend and leaned over to whisper in his ear, though Anna still heard. “You know, I keep telling you to settle down. It would be a shame if you didn’t at least try to woo this one. Talent, beauty, and a sense of humor are hard to find together.”

Roy’s jaw clenched, and Anna felt her face heat despite her best efforts. She was thankful when the Colonel ignored that comment, too, and turned to her instead. “Why don’t you tell us everything you can remember. We have your statements, but it would be best if we heard it all at once while we have time to discuss it.”

Anna jumped at the chance to change the subject. “Of course.” She then launched into her recounting of both encounters with the man she had seen.

By the time she was done, Maes was wearing a frown with one hand on his chin. It was several seconds before he finally looked back over to her. “That is disturbing news. So, you are saying he killed them with just a touch?”

She nodded in response. “While I didn’t see the second murder happen, the first time it was obvious that he was using alchemy.”

Roy sat forward with a frown. “Alchemy? Given what he said to you in Tucker’s house?”

She nodded back. “Yes. Granted, he is stopping at the deconstruction step, but there is no doubt that it is alchemy.”

Maes was still looking thoughtful. “You believe he may be Ishvalan?”

Roy sat back once more. “Possibly, given that his statements did echo their beliefs.”

Anna added her agreement. “He was wearing glasses, so I couldn’t see his eyes, but I also believe he is Ishvalan. He has white hair that is cut short and a darker complexion. This doesn’t have anything to do with his background, but the scars on his face are unmistakable. They form an x pattern on his forehead that also crosses each cheek, so he should be easy to identify.”

The silence held for several seconds after that before Maes gave her a tired smile. “Thank you. This helps tremendously, though knowing he is using alchemy does mean we will have to be more careful.”

He then paused and looked at Roy with a frown. “I find it strange that an Ishvalan has resorted to alchemy.” He then turned back to Anna. “Was there anything else you can think of? Anything at all that might indicate why he was using something anathema to his people?”

Anna knew exactly why the man had resorted to using alchemy. She even knew how he had gained that knowledge. However, all her information came from a source she could never fully explain. Not to these people, at least. There was no way they would believe her. She finally shook her head. “No. I can’t tell you anything else.”

She had looked away, so she didn’t see the hard look Roy shot her way, but nothing more about it was said. Instead, Maes stood and gave her a smile. “Well, thank you for all the information. It does help.” He then turned to Mustang. “Why don’t we go take a look at the rest of the evidence gathered last night before I have to head back to Central.”

Roy motioned for him to follow, but Maes stopped and turned back to Anna before they exited the room. “By the way, if you are ever in Central, feel free to stop by. I’m sure Gracia would love to meet you.”

Roy rolled his eyes at his friend before he pushed him out the door. Anna just laughed at the pair of them as she called out. “I’ll make sure to remember. I would love to meet her too.”

Once the men were gone, Riza stood and motioned toward the door. “I believe the Colonel mentioned something about training during your spare time. Why don’t we see if anyone is available.”

Anna suddenly felt chilled. She wasn’t looking forward to this, but she knew she was a sitting duck otherwise. It had to help some, right? She kept that thought in mind as she followed Riza out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all! I know it has been a while, but believe me, I have not given up on this. I hope this one satisfies for now. Things aren't moving quickly yet, but we are still pretty early in the storyline. Right now we are focused on building the connections between everyone. I have a feeling that once things really get started, they will snowball, so look forward to it. In the meantime, thanks for reading and cheers!


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